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Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company - and Revolutionized an Industry Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Marc Benioff (Author), Carlye Adler (Author), Ax Norman (Narrator),
4.4 out of 5 stars 974 ratings

How did salesforce.com grow from a start-up in a rented apartment into the world's fastest growing software company in less than a decade? Marc Benioff, the visionary founder, chairman, and CEO of salesforce.com, tells how he and his team created and used new business, technology, and philanthropic models tailored to this time of extraordinary change.

Showing how salesforce.com not only survived the dotcom implosion of 2001, but went on to define itself as the leader of the cloud computing revolution and spark a $46 billion dollar industry, Benioff's story will help business leaders and entrepreneurs stand out, innovate better, and grow faster in any economic climate. In Behind the Cloud, Benioff shares the strategies that have inspired employees, turned customers into evangelists, leveraged an ecosystem of partners, and allowed innovation to flourish.

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Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 54 minutes
  2. Author
    Marc Benioff, see all
  3. Narrator
    Ax Norman
  4. Audible release date
    July 9, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Gildan Media
  7. ASIN
    B08BCS5WLC
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 54 minutes
Author Marc Benioff, Carlye Adler
Narrator Ax Norman
Audible.com Release Date July 09, 2020
Publisher Gildan Media
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08BCS5WLC
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
974 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-worded, appreciating its practical guidance for entrepreneurs. Moreover, the book provides valuable insights, with one customer highlighting its detailed look at product development. Additionally, customers are struck by the philanthropy chapter, and one notes how it measures success in both revenue and philanthropy. The book's structure receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as broken down into many 'plays'.

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ReadabilityValue for moneyInsightEase of usePhilanthropyChapter structure
62 customers mention "Readability"62 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read, with one customer noting it's particularly suitable for those in the tech industry.

"...the most interesting part of the book and makes it a must read for any budding entrepreneur...." Read more

"...While there is a lot of content in this book, that is noteworthy at a high level, I would caution new entrepreneurs to seek a more modernized,..." Read more

"...Great book. Very well worded (no siliconite verbiage), co-authored with an excellent writer, Carlye Adler." Read more

"...in understanding trends in the software industry, this is a worthy read. These days, we hear the buzz word 'cloud computing' a lot...." Read more

53 customers mention "Value for money"53 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides valuable insights and practical guidance for entrepreneurs, with one customer noting it serves as a real-world guide.

"...Like many success stories, it lists a playbook of strategies, policies, and decisions that the author believes to be the driving forces being their..." Read more

"...This section is a must read for entrepreneurs of for-profit companies, of course, but also for any executive director of any foundation who does not..." Read more

"Really profound, lots of wisdom distilled into a few words...." Read more

"...But Benioff's is the real world's practical guide. A playbook by playbook example. This is where the rubber hits the road!..." Read more

48 customers mention "Insight"48 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and inspiring, with one customer highlighting its candid tale of growth and another noting how it provides real-life situations for learning and enjoyment.

"...This is the most interesting part of the book and makes it a must read for any budding entrepreneur...." Read more

"This book provided a very positive, insightful story behind Salesforce and its growth into the company that it is today (well, if today were 2009)...." Read more

"...The format of this book is kind of unusual, but still interesting. Usually, these kind of books follow in sequence as a story...." Read more

"...It actually provides significant amount of insight into what's actually going on in the company, and how do you deal with them, rather than..." Read more

8 customers mention "Ease of use"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book straightforward and easy to follow, with one customer describing it as a play-by-play account.

"...the style of the book are also particularly pleasing and make for an easy and exciting read...." Read more

"...It is a very easy and enjoyable book to read...." Read more

"An easy and interesting read. The book is written for new entrepreneurs but anyone who works for a company can appreciate the advice...." Read more

"Practical, straightforward play-by-play account of how Benioff founded and led Salesforce.com into the phenomenon it is today: What he and his team..." Read more

6 customers mention "Philanthropy"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the philanthropic aspects of the book, with one customer noting how Salesforce measures its success in both revenue and giving, while another mentions the Corporate Philanthropy Playbook.

"...There is one section of the book I especially like: The Corporate Philanthropy Playbook...." Read more

"...to build something when you know it will leave a legacy and add value for others due to the generous nature of the endeavor...." Read more

"...I was particularly struck by the Philanthropy chapter - my cofounder and I liked the 1-1-1 model..." Read more

"...their plans for building a global enterprise that measures its success in revenue and philanthropy ." Read more

4 customers mention "Chapter structure"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the chapter structure of the book, with one mentioning it is broken down into many 'plays'.

"...I liked the short chapter structure - it allows you to pick it up and put it down when you need to - taking lessons when you have the time...." Read more

"I like how everything is structured in plays...." Read more

"...Short and practical chapters, great insight into the history of Salesforce. My whole summary (in Czech) at [...]" Read more

"Easy to read but very insightful and useful. Broken down into many 'plays' so that you can focus on the ones you want to. Inspiring and funny...." Read more

Eating while packing the book
1 out of 5 stars
Eating while packing the book
Food and grease all over front cover of the book disgusting! Look at the thumb print in grease.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Nona
    5.0 out of 5 stars For entrepreneurs and information industry professionals
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    SaaS. Software as a Service. This comes as an disruptive technology when the enterprises were spending megabucks on software to roll out to maximize their efficiency. The initial software licenses and the hardware, in order to host the solution, was compounded by the efforts spent in adapting the software to the specific needs of the buyer. At a time like this, Marc Benioff was bold enough to pursue his vision of "No Software". Technically incorrect, the idea was to host the application and provide access to enterprises to use the hosted application to remove the hardware costs from the equation. If this was not enough, they were going to charge the customer a monthly subscription fees similar to a pay-as-you-go mode.

    We all know how the vision turned out. I am talking about the company founded by Marc Benioff. salesforce.com. But do we know what were driving factors and deciding events behind the success story of salesforce.com. This is what the author and founder of salesforce.com, Marc Benioff, tells in this book. With a dream to change the world and limited resources, salesforce.com innovated to become a market pioneer and also leader. Humble beginning with respect to resources(both manpower and capital), they set out for a David-versus-Goliath battle against Siebel. Instead of building ground up, they capitulated on the successful and time-proven technologies available. When it comes to attract attention to their product, they came out with out-of-box ideas. All these are interesting and also inspiring to read.

    Starting from basics and turning successful was just one of the hurdles. But when salesforce.com became successful, the company as a whole has to adapt without changing their core values. Sometimes after defeating Goliath, David turns into Goliath. Instead of transforming into the undesirable giant, salesforce.com assimilates some of the good characteristics of Goliath as part of the adaptation process. When salesforce.com files for IPO, there are other challenges they face. They create a new market which did not exist before. Being the first means there are no written set of rules. This is the most interesting part of the book and makes it a must read for any budding entrepreneur. Disruptive technologies also has lot of challenges in addition to creating and capturing the market.

    This books is recommended for two types of people. The first type are entrepreneurs(even if you are already one or you hope to be one in the future) and the second type are people associated with information industry. For the first type, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from Marc Benioff's experience while for the second type, it is a history lesson.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Brian Bowden
    4.0 out of 5 stars A positive take on entrepreneurship with some caveats
    Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book provided a very positive, insightful story behind Salesforce and its growth into the company that it is today (well, if today were 2009). Like many success stories, it lists a playbook of strategies, policies, and decisions that the author believes to be the driving forces being their success.

    The problem with such playbooks is that they are often heavily influenced by survivorship bias. An entrepreneur succeeds at something, believes they know why they succeeded, and then use that insight to pass on advice to others. Unfortunately, much of what works for one company during a specific time period often does not work for most others. While there is a lot of content in this book, that is noteworthy at a high level, I would caution new entrepreneurs to seek a more modernized, realistic guide more fitting for 2021. One such book is “Lean Startup,” which is also written by the founder of a software company, but it is also much more open about dealing with major struggles.

    As an entrepreneur myself in the startup space for the past 10 years, I can vouch for the fact that grit in the face of uncertainty and coping with financial struggle is by far the most difficult challenge that normal entrepreneurs face. This book will not help you in this area of your development. Salesforce was very fortunate with its early profitability, but most startups will need to spend a great deal of energy staying afloat, learning to survive before they can thrive.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and useful for entrepreneurs
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2009
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    salesforce (with a lowercase as was the mania at the turn of the century) is, of course, a major industry success, but also the symbol of a timely, intelligent strategy adjustment at a time of crisis and craziness, the [...] bust. Great ideas and products that are useful to people always manage to weather bad storms. Sure, Marc Benioff, the CEO founder of the company must have freaked out at the 2001 meltdown, but he lost neither his cool nor his faith on his "End of software" motto (a striking way to impose the then novel software as a service -- SaaS -- model). His obstinacy paid off: The company went public in June 2004.

    Not all entrepreneurs have Marc's chutzpah, but his 111 recommendations to entrepreneurs will all be extremely precious to anyone. Sure, you may not dispatch a commando unit on bicycle to circle the Los Angeles Convention Center at a Microsoft launch event and instead settle for less spectacular tactics, but the message is clear: if you are an underdog, you can't be too subtle either, and you have to find a way to force the big guys into adopting your message. Regardless of who they are. Frankly, when Tom Siebel from Siebel Systems started to talk about software-as-a-service after he acquired Upshot, most of us smiled at the recollection that only two years before, Siebel had been repeating that SaaS was the type of stuff for [...] kids. "Don't fear competition: welcome it and leverage it," Marc concludes - provided, though, that you keep it under tight control.

    And you do so by maintaining an all-out high energy level. High energy (sometimes high voltage) is the tone of the book. It has a lot to do with Marc's personal style. But guess what? Low-energy doesn't work. So find what your own high-energy level can be, and make sure that your employees and your customers turn into fervent evangelists of the company anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, enjoy dozens of great anecdotes.

    There is one section of the book I especially like: The Corporate Philanthropy Playbook. This section is a must read for entrepreneurs of for-profit companies, of course, but also for any executive director of any foundation who does not want a foundation to stagnate or simply "survive": "Innovative nonprofits have historically achieved true sustainability by embracing a revenue-generating business model."

    Great book. Very well worded (no siliconite verbiage), co-authored with an excellent writer, Carlye Adler.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Ajay M
    5.0 out of 5 stars I didn't think Marc will bare so many secrets.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    You have to read it, amazing to see him being so honest on how they beat Siebel. I can't wait for a company to one-up them now, they've had a good life already, time for the next talent to replace them :)
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  • Leonardo Oliveira
    5.0 out of 5 stars ótima leitura profissional
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 5, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    recomendável para quem quiser entender e aprender sobre o mundo SaaS
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  • De kaft van het boek was vies en ik krijg het niet schoon
    1.0 out of 5 stars Beschadigde kaft
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on July 29, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
     
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    De kaft van het boek was vies en ik krijg het niet schoon
    1.0 out of 5 stars
    Beschadigde kaft

    Reviewed in the Netherlands on July 29, 2023

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  • praveen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for every entrepreneur
    Reviewed in India on October 28, 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Though someone of the points author talks about don't apply to current generation but overall it's a must read for every entrepreneur
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  • Bruno
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice design and awesome content
    Reviewed in Germany on November 7, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Great book - I was looking for a book about Marketing and Saas, and this book provided me with great insihgt. In these pages, Marc Benioff, one of the founders of Salesforce, tells his experience as an entrepreneur, who used to have a corporate life, and then decides to start a Saas company looking for something more rewarding. In his journey as an entrepreneur, he implemented a number of several innovative marketing strategies that every person interested in building a company should know. Totally recommended!
    Customer image
    Bruno
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Nice design and awesome content

    Reviewed in Germany on November 7, 2022
    Great book - I was looking for a book about Marketing and Saas, and this book provided me with great insihgt. In these pages, Marc Benioff, one of the founders of Salesforce, tells his experience as an entrepreneur, who used to have a corporate life, and then decides to start a Saas company looking for something more rewarding. In his journey as an entrepreneur, he implemented a number of several innovative marketing strategies that every person interested in building a company should know. Totally recommended!
    Images in this review
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