DEF 14A
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.    )

 

 

Filed by the Registrant   ☒                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant   ☐

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  Definitive Proxy Statement
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salesforce.com, inc.

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Table of Contents

LOGO

Notice of the 2018 Annual Meeting and 2018 Proxy Statement Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. (Local Time) 350 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, 94105


Table of Contents

LOGO

salesforce.com, inc.

The Landmark @ One Market

Suite 300

San Francisco, California 94105

 

LOGO

May 2, 2018

Dear Fellow Stockholders:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of salesforce.com, inc. on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. local time at 350 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94105.

At this year’s meeting, we will vote on the election of directors, an amendment and restatement of Salesforce’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to allow stockholders to request special meetings of the stockholders, an amendment and restatement of our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of shares authorized for issuance thereunder and the ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as Salesforce’s independent registered public accounting firm. We will also conduct a non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of Salesforce’s named executive officers. If properly presented at the meeting, we will also consider two stockholder proposals as described in the Notice of 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement. Finally, we will transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting, and stockholders will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please vote as soon as possible. You may vote over the Internet, by telephone or by mailing a completed proxy card or voting instruction form (if you request printed copies of the proxy materials to be mailed to you). Your vote by proxy will ensure your representation at the Annual Meeting regardless of whether you attend the meeting. Details regarding admission to the Annual Meeting and the business to be conducted are described in the accompanying Notice of 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Salesforce. We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.

Aloha,

 

LOGO

Marc Benioff

Chairman of the Board of Directors and

Chief Executive Officer

 


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LOGO

salesforce.com, inc.

The Landmark @ One Market,

Suite 300

San Francisco, California 94105

 

 

NOTICE OF 2018

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

To be held Tuesday, June 12, 2018

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF SALESFORCE.COM, INC.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of salesforce.com, inc., a Delaware corporation (“Salesforce”), will be held on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. local time at 350 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94105 for the following purposes:

 

  1. To elect Marc Benioff, Keith Block, Craig Conway, Alan Hassenfeld, Neelie Kroes, Colin Powell, Sanford Robertson, John V. Roos, Bernard Tyson, Robin Washington, Maynard Webb and Susan Wojcicki to serve as directors until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, subject to earlier resignation or removal;  

 

  2. To amend and restate our Certificate of Incorporation to allow stockholders holding 15% of our outstanding common stock to request special meetings of the stockholders;  

 

  3. To amend and restate our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of shares authorized for issuance by 40 million shares;  

 

  4. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2019;  

 

  5. To approve, on an advisory basis, the fiscal 2018 compensation of our named executive officers;  

 

  6. To consider, if properly presented at the meeting, a stockholder proposal requesting the elimination of supermajority voting requirements; and  

 

  7. To consider, if properly presented at the meeting, a stockholder proposal requesting a report on Salesforce’s criteria for investing in, operating in and withdrawing from high-risk regions.  

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice. We also will transact any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting, but are not aware of any such additional matters.

Stockholders at the close of business April 18, 2018 and their proxies are entitled to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting and any and all adjournments, continuations or postponements thereof.

All stockholders are invited to attend the Annual Meeting in person. Any stockholder attending the Annual Meeting may vote even if such stockholder returned a proxy. You will need to bring your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, or other proof of ownership of Salesforce common stock as of the record date, as well as photo identification, to enter the Annual Meeting.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules allow companies to furnish proxy materials to their stockholders over the Internet. This expedites stockholders’ receipt of proxy materials, lowers the annual meeting costs and conserves natural resources. Thus, we are mailing stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, rather than a paper copy of the Proxy Statement and our 2018 Annual Report. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials online, vote and (if desired) obtain a paper copy of our proxy materials.

This Notice, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, the Proxy Statement and the 2018 Annual Report are first being made available to stockholders on May 2, 2018.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

 

LOGO

Amy E. Weaver

President, Legal, General Counsel and Secretary

San Francisco, California

May 2, 2018

ALL STOCKHOLDERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, PLEASE VOTE AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO ENSURE YOUR REPRESENTATION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING. YOU MAY VOTE ONLINE OR BY TELEPHONE OR, IF YOU REQUESTED PRINTED COPIES OF THE PROXY MATERIALS, BY USING THE PROXY CARD OR VOTING INSTRUCTION FORM PROVIDED WITH THE PRINTED PROXY MATERIALS. YOU MAY SUBSEQUENTLY CHANGE OR REVOKE YOUR VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING.


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LOGO

PROXY STATEMENT FOR 2018 ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

About the Annual Meeting

     1  

Who is soliciting my vote?

     1  

When and where will the Annual Meeting take place?

     1  

Where can I access the proxy materials?

     1  

How many votes do I have?

     1  

What will I be voting on?

     1  

What are the Board’s voting recommendations?

     2  

How do I vote in advance of the Annual Meeting?

     2  

What do I need to bring to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting?

     2  

Directors and Corporate Governance

     3  

Board and Corporate Governance Highlights

     3  

Board Members

     4  

Board Independence

     11  

Board Leadership Structure

     11  

Board Meetings and Director Communications

     11  

Corporate Governance and Board Committees

     12  

Compensation of Directors

     14  

Director Stock Ownership Requirement

     15  

Sustainability, Equality, and Philanthropy at Salesforce

     16  

Protecting Our Planet

     16  

Fostering Employee Success

     16  

Giving Back

     16  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

     17  

Equity Compensation Plan Information

     19  

Material Features of the 2014 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan

     19  

A Letter from Our Compensation Committee

     20  

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

     21  

Named Executive Officers

     21  

Executive Summary

     21  

Stockholder Outreach, Board Responsiveness, Program Evolution

     23  

Compensation Philosophy and Practices

     23  

Compensation Elements and Compensation for Named Executive Officers

     24  

Compensation-Setting Process

     29  

Summary Information Regarding Fiscal 2019 Compensation Decisions

     30  

Other Compensation Policies

     30  

Post-Employment Compensation

     31  

Tax and Accounting Considerations

     32  

Compensation Risk Assessment

     33  

CEO Pay Ratio

     34  

Summary Compensation Table

     35  

Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table

     36  

Option Exercises and Stock Vested Table

     37  

 

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2018 Year-End Table

     38  

Employment Contracts and Certain Transactions

     40  

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

     44  

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

     44  

Committee Reports

     44  

Report of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors

     44  

Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

     45  

Proposal 1 — Election of Directors

     47  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     47  

Proposal 2 — Amendment and Restatement of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation

     48  

Purpose and Effect of the Proposed Amendment

     48  

Related Changes to the Bylaws

     48  

Additional Information

     49  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     49  

Proposal 3 — Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of the Equity Incentive Plan to, Among Other Things, Increase Plan Shares Reserved for Issuance

     50  

Increasing the Number of Shares Reserved for Issuance under the 2013 Plan

     50  

Summary of the 2013 Plan

     52  

Summary of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

     58  

Number of Awards Granted to Employees, Consultants, and Directors

     60  

Detailed Three-Year Average Burn Rate Calculation

     61  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     61  

Proposal 4 — Ratification of Appointment of  Independent Auditors

     62  

Engagement Letter and Fee Disclosure

     62  

Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

     62  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     63  

Proposal 5 — Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation

     64  

Fiscal Year 2018 Business Highlights

     64  

Significant Fiscal 2018 Compensation Actions

     64  

Advisory Vote and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     65  

Proposal 6 — Stockholder Proposal Requesting the Elimination of Supermajority Voting Requirements

     66  

Supporting Statement by Stockholder Proponent

     66  

The Company’s Statement of Opposition

     66  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     67  

Proposal 7 — Stockholder Proposal Requesting a Report on the Company’s Criteria for Investing in, Operating in and Withdrawing from High-Risk Regions

     68  

Supporting Statement by Stockholder Proponent

     68  

The Company’s Statement of Opposition

     68  

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

     69  

Procedural Matters

     70  

General

     70  

Stockholders Entitled to Vote; Record Date

     70  

Quorum; Abstentions; Broker Non-Votes

     70  

Voting; Revocability of Proxies

     71  

Expenses of Solicitation

     71  

Procedure for Introducing Business or Director Nominations at Our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

     72  

Delivery of Proxy Materials

     72  

 

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)  

 

 

Transaction of Other Business

     73  

Appendix A: Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

     A-1  

Appendix B: Amended and Restated Bylaws

     B-1  

Appendix C: Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan

     C-1  

 

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  ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING  

 

 

ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

Who is soliciting my vote?

 

The Board of Directors of salesforce.com, inc. (the “Board”) is soliciting your vote at Salesforce’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Proxy Statement to “Salesforce,” “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to salesforce.com, inc.

When and where will the Annual Meeting take place?

 

The Annual Meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. local time at 350 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94105.

Where can I access the proxy materials?

 

Pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, we have provided access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Internet Notice”) has been mailed (or, if requested, emailed) to our stockholders owning our stock as of the record date, April 18, 2018. Our proxy materials were mailed to those stockholders who have asked to receive paper copies. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet, how to receive our proxy materials via email, or how to request a printed copy by mail may be found in the Internet Notice.

By accessing the proxy materials on the Internet or choosing to receive your future proxy materials by email, you will save the Company the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the impact of the Annual Meeting on the environment. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, and you are a Salesforce stockholder as of the record date for next year’s annual meeting, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to those materials. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by mail, you will receive a paper copy of those materials, including a form of proxy or voting instruction form. Your election to receive proxy materials by mail or email will remain in effect until you notify us that you are terminating such election.

How many votes do I have?

 

All of our stockholders have one vote for every share of Salesforce common stock owned as of our record date of April 18, 2018.

What will I be voting on?

 

You will be voting on:

 

1. The election of Marc Benioff, Keith Block, Craig Conway, Alan Hassenfeld, Neelie Kroes, Colin Powell, Sanford Robertson, John V. Roos, Bernard Tyson, Robin Washington, Maynard Webb and Susan Wojcicki to serve as directors until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, subject to earlier resignation or removal;

 

2. The amendment and restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to allow stockholders to request special meetings of the stockholders;

 

3. The amendment and restatement of our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of shares authorized for issuance by 40 million shares;

 

4. The ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2019;
5. An advisory vote to approve the fiscal 2018 compensation of our named executive officers;

 

6. A stockholder proposal requesting the elimination of supermajority voting requirements; and

 

7. A stockholder proposal requesting a report on Salesforce’s criteria for investing in, operating in and withdrawing from high-risk regions.

We will also transact any other business that may properly come before the annual meeting, which could require a vote, although we are not aware of any such business as of the date of this Proxy Statement. An agenda and rules of procedure will be distributed at the Annual Meeting.

 

 

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  ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

What are the Board’s voting recommendations?

 

The Board recommends that you vote your shares as noted below.

 

  FOR each of Marc Benioff, Keith Block, Craig Conway, Alan Hassenfeld, Neelie Kroes, Colin Powell, Sanford Robertson, John V. Roos, Bernard Tyson, Robin Washington, Maynard Webb and Susan Wojcicki.

 

  FOR the amendment and restatement of our Certificate of Incorporation to allow stockholders to request special meetings of the stockholders.

 

  FOR the amendment and restatement of our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan to, among other things, increase the number of shares authorized for issuance by 40 million shares.

 

  FOR ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2019.

 

  FOR the advisory vote to approve the fiscal 2018 compensation of our named executive officers.
  AGAINST the stockholder proposal requesting the elimination of supermajority voting requirements.

 

    A simple majority requirement is already our default voting standard and applies to most matters submitted for stockholder approval.

 

    The limited matters requiring supermajority approval are meant to preserve and maximize long-term stockholder value.

 

    We are committed to a corporate governance structure that promotes stockholder rights and accountability.

 

    We have a track record of extensive stockholder engagement, with continuing outreach to and dialogue with our investors on a broad range of issues, including corporate governance matters.

 

  AGAINST the stockholder proposal requesting a report on Salesforce’s criteria for investing in, operating in and withdrawing from high-risk regions.

 

    The Board believes that our success depends on our ability to manage the business ethically, transparently, and responsibly over the long term.

 

    Trust and success of our stakeholders are the highest priorities for Salesforce.

 

    This stockholder proposal could have a detrimental effect on our business and stockholders.
 

 

How do I vote in advance of the Annual Meeting?

 

If you are a stockholder of record you may cast your vote in any of the following ways.

 

LOGO

Internet

Visit www.proxyvote.com and follow the instructions on your proxy card or notice of internet availability of proxy materials.

LOGO

Phone

Call 1-800-690-6903 and follow the instructions provided in the recorded message (if you received paper copies of the proxy materials).

LOGO

Mail

Return your completed and signed proxy card in the enclosed postage-prepaid envelope.

 

 

If you are a stockholder who holds shares through a brokerage firm, bank, trust or other similar organization (that is, in “street name”), please refer to the instructions from the broker or organization holding your shares.

What do I need to bring to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting?

 

 

Stockholders as of the record date, April 18, 2018, must bring the Internet Notice or other proof of ownership, as well as photo identification, for entrance to the Annual Meeting. Those stockholders whose shares are held in street name may attend and vote at the Annual Meeting by obtaining a legal proxy provided by their broker, bank or other organization and bringing that legal proxy to the Annual Meeting.

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE  

 

 

DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board and Corporate Governance Highlights

 

Salesforce has a Board of highly experienced directors who have led, advised and established many of the premier companies of Silicon Valley and other leading global organizations. Our Board has taken a thoughtful approach to board composition to ensure that our directors have backgrounds that collectively add significant value to the strategic decisions made by the Company and that enable them to provide oversight of management to ensure accountability to our stockholders. Our directors have extensive backgrounds as entrepreneurs, technologists,

operational and financial experts, investors, advisors and government leaders. In addition, we have worked hard to strike the right balance between long-term understanding of our business and fresh external perspectives, as well as to ensure diversity within the boardroom. We discuss the qualitative elements of our Board in the “Board Members” section below, and a summary of key quantitative metrics for our current Board members is as follows:

 

 

 

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In addition to a strong, independent Board, we are committed to a corporate governance structure that promotes long-term stockholder value creation by providing the right leadership structure and composition of the Board and providing our stockholders with both the opportunity to provide direct feedback and key substantive rights to ensure accountability. Key highlights of our Board and corporate governance profile are set forth below:

 

Corporate Governance Best Practices

    BoardComposed of 83% Independent Directors

 

     Commitment to Board Refreshment (Seven New Directors in Past Five Years)

 

     Lead Independent Director with Expansive Duties

 

     Annual Election of Directors

 

    Majority Voting for Directors

 

     Proxy Access Right

 

    Rigorous Director Selection and Evaluation Process

 

     Limit on Outside Directorships

   

    Fully Independent Committees

 

     Comprehensive Risk Oversight by Full Board and Committees

 

     In Fiscal Year 2018, We Engaged with Holders of a Majority of Our Outstanding Shares

 

     Stock Ownership Policy for Directors and Executive Officers

 

     Diverse Board in Terms of Gender, Ethnicity, Experience, Skills and Tenure

 

     Regular Executive Sessions of Independent Directors

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Board Members

 

Summary of Director Experience and Qualifications

The matrix below summarizes what our Board believes are desirable types of experience, qualifications, attributes and skills possessed by one or more of Salesforce’s directors, because of their particular relevance to the Company’s business and structure. While all of these were considered by the Board in connection with this year’s director nomination process, the following matrix does not encompass all experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of our directors.

 

   

Significant
technical
or
business
experience
in software
industry.

 

 

Experience
with cloud
computing
technology
infrastructure.

 

 

Experience
as CEO or
senior
executive
at a public
company or
other large
organization.

 

 

Experience
as a
director of
another
public
company.

 

 

Leadership
experience
in sales
and
distribution.

 

 

Leadership
experience
in
marketing
and brand
building.

 

 

Expertise in
financial
statements
and
accounting.

 

 

Leadership

experience
in healthcare,
an industry
vertical
important to
Salesforce.

 

 

 

Experience
founding or
growing
new
businesses
directly or
through
venture
capital
work.

 

 

Diversity,
including
diversity
of
gender
or
race.

 

 

Leadership
experience
in
government,
law
or military.

 

 

  Leadership  
experience  

  involving  

international

  operations or  
  relations.  

 

 

 

Marc Benioff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

     

 

 

 

Keith Block

 

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

Craig Conway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

     

 

 

 

Alan Hassenfeld

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

     

 

 

 

Neelie Kroes

 

       

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin Powell

 

       

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sanford Robertson

 

       

 

 

 

   

 

   

 

     
 

 

John V. Roos

 

       

 

         

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Bernard Tyson

 

     

 

         

 

   

 

   
 

 

Robin Washington

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

     

 

     

 

   
 

 

Maynard Webb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

     

 

 

 

Susan Wojcicki

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

     

 

             

 

       

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

 

Biographies of Our Board Members

The names and certain information as of March 31, 2018 about our director nominees, all of whom are currently members of our Board and were elected by stockholders at the 2017 Annual Meeting (other than Bernard Tyson, who was appointed to the Board in October 2017), are set forth below. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers. Our directors serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified, subject to earlier resignation or removal. Please see Proposal 1 in this Proxy Statement for more information about the election of our directors.

 

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Marc Benioff

Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer

Age: 53

 

Director Since: 1999

Marc Benioff is Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of Salesforce and a pioneer of cloud computing. Under Mr. Benioff’s visionary leadership, Salesforce has become the fastest-growing top-five enterprise software company and the #1 CRM provider globally. Mr. Benioff was named Innovator of the Decade by Forbes, ranked #3 on Fortune’s 2017 “Best Businessperson of the Year” list, and recognized as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune and 20 Best-Performing CEOs by Harvard Business Review. A member of the World Economic Forum Board of Trustees, Mr. Benioff serves as the inaugural chair of WEF’s Forum Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco. Mr. Benioff also serves as chair of Salesforce.org. Mr. Benioff served as a director of Cisco Systems, Inc. from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Benioff received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, where he is on its Board of Trustees.

Qualifications

Mr. Benioff’s vision and status as one of our founders, as well as his tenure as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, bring unique and invaluable experience to the Board. Further, his experience in sales, marketing and product development in the technology industry supports our conclusion that Mr. Benioff has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

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Keith Block

Vice Chairman,

President and Chief Operating Officer

Age: 57

 

Director Since: 2013

Keith Block has served as our Vice Chairman, President and as a Director since joining Salesforce in June 2013, and has additionally served as our Chief Operating Officer since February 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Block was employed at Oracle Corporation from 1986 to June 2012 where he held a number of positions, most recently Executive Vice President, North America. Mr. Block currently serves on the World Economic Forum’s Information Technology Community as a Governor, the Board of Trustees for Carnegie-Mellon University, the President’s Advisory Council at Carnegie-Mellon University Heinz Graduate School and the Board of Trustees at the Concord Museum. Mr. Block received both a B.S. in Information Systems and an M.S. in Management & Policy Analysis from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Qualifications

Mr. Block’s extensive background in the technology sector and in global sales and business management, including his prior experience as an executive officer of another public technology company, supports our conclusion that Mr. Block has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

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Craig Conway

Age: 63

 

Director Since: 2005

 

Committees: Compensation

                     Real Estate (Chair)

                     Mergers &  Acquisitions

Craig Conway has served as a Director since October 2005. Mr. Conway served as President and Chief Executive Officer of PeopleSoft, Inc., an enterprise application software company, from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Conway also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of One Touch Systems from 1996 to 1999 and TGV Software from 1993 to 1996. Prior to that, Mr. Conway held executive management positions at a variety of leading technology companies, including Executive Vice President at Oracle Corporation. Mr. Conway currently serves as a director of Guidewire Software, Inc. and Nutanix, Inc. During the past five years, Mr. Conway also served as a director of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Mr. Conway received a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the State University of New York at Brockport.

Qualifications

Mr. Conway’s extensive and broad background in business management, including his experience as president and chief executive officer of three technology companies, as well as his service on the boards of other publicly held companies, supports our conclusion that Mr. Conway has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

LOGO  

Alan Hassenfeld

Age: 69

 

Director Since: 2003

 

Committees: Audit & Finance

                     Nominating & Corporate

                     Governance

Alan Hassenfeld has served as a Director since December 2003. Mr. Hassenfeld has been a Director of Hasbro, Inc., a provider of children’s and family entertainment products, since 1978. He served as its Chairman from 1989 to 2008, and also served as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1989 to 2003. Mr. Hassenfeld is a trustee of the Hasbro Charitable Trust and Hasbro Children’s Foundation. During the past five years, Mr. Hassenfeld also served as a director of Global Cornerstone Holdings Limited. He also serves as a director of Salesforce.org, a non-profit public benefit corporation. Mr. Hassenfeld received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Qualifications

Mr. Hassenfeld has an extensive and broad background in business management, including his experience as a chief executive officer of a publicly traded company. This deep business knowledge, combined with the leadership roles he plays within many philanthropic organizations, supports our conclusion that Mr. Hassenfeld has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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LOGO  

Neelie Kroes

Age: 76

 

Director Since: 2016

 

Committees: Real Estate

Neelie Kroes has served as a Director since May 2016. Ms. Kroes is the former Vice President of the European Commission, European Commissioner for Competition and European Commission for Digital Agenda. Ms. Kroes served as Commissioner for Competition from 2004 to 2010 and as Vice President and Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society from 2010 to 2014. Prior to joining the European Commission, Ms. Kroes served in the Dutch House of Representatives and as State Secretary and Cabinet Minister. She is currently a member of the Global Policy Advisory Board of Uber Technologies, Inc. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a member of the Finance Committee of Rijksmuseum Fonds (Amsterdam). Ms. Kroes previously served on the boards of Lucent Netherlands, AB Volvo and McDonald’s Netherlands and was chairperson of Nyenrode University. Ms. Kroes received her M.S. in Economics from Erasmus University.

Qualifications

Ms. Kroes brings valuable international and leadership expertise to our Board and possesses an extensive background in cross-border technology, competition and data security. This extensive experience, combined with her leadership positions in governmental organizations, supports our conclusion that Ms. Kroes has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

LOGO  

General Colin Powell

Age: 80

 

Director Since: 2014

 

Committees: Nominating &

                     Corporate Governance

General Colin Powell has served as a Director since March 2014. General Powell is a retired four-star general and served for 35 years in the United States Army. He has served as U.S. National Security Advisor, Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was the 65th Secretary of State of the United States. General Powell is a member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York and the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the America’s Promise Alliance. Since 2005, General Powell has served as a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm. General Powell received a B.S. from the City College of New York and an M.B.A. from The George Washington University.

Qualifications

General Powell has an extensive background in management and leadership, including at the highest levels of the U.S. government. This extensive experience, in addition to his leadership positions in various philanthropic organizations, supports our conclusion that General Powell has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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LOGO  

Sanford Robertson

Lead Independent Director

Age: 86

 

Director Since: 2003

 

Committees: Audit & Finance

                     Nominating &

                     Corporate Governance

                     (Chair)

                     Real Estate

                     Mergers &  Acquisitions

Sanford Robertson has served as a Director since October 2003. Mr. Robertson has been an active technology investor and advisor to several technology companies. He is a principal of Francisco Partners, a technology buyout fund. Prior to founding Francisco Partners in 1999, Mr. Robertson was the founder and chairman of Robertson, Stephens & Company, a technology investment bank. Mr. Robertson was also the founder of Robertson, Colman, Siebel & Weisel, later renamed Montgomery Securities, another prominent technology investment bank. Mr. Robertson currently serves as a director of Pain Therapeutics, Inc. and RPX Corporation, and in the past five years, served as a director of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. Mr. Robertson received a B.B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Qualifications

Mr. Robertson brings valuable financial expertise to our Board of Directors. His extensive experience in investment banking, private equity and capital markets transactions, as well as his service on the boards of other publicly held companies, supports our conclusion that Mr. Robertson has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

LOGO  

John V. Roos

Age: 63

 

Director Since: 2013

 

Committees: Compensation (Chair)

 



John V. Roos has served as a Director since September 2013. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2009 to 2013. Ambassador Roos currently serves as Founder and General Partner of Geodesic Capital, a mid-late stage venture capital firm. Since April 2014, Ambassador Roos has also served as Senior Advisor to Centerview Partners, an international investment banking advisory firm, and since October 2013, he has served on the global advisory board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, a Japanese banking and financial network. Since January 2016, Ambassador Roos has served as Chairman of the Toyota Research Institute Advisory Board. From 1985 to 2009, Ambassador Roos practiced corporate and securities law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., where he most recently served as Chief Executive Officer. Ambassador Roos also serves on the Board of Sony Corporation and the Board of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. Ambassador Roos received an A.B. in Political Science and a J.D. from Stanford University.

Qualifications

Ambassador Roos brings valuable international and strategic expertise to our Board of Directors, and possesses an extensive and broad background in management, leadership and law. This extensive experience supports our conclusion that Ambassador Roos has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

 

LOGO  

Bernard Tyson

Age: 59

 

Director Since: 2017

Bernard J. Tyson has served as a Director since October 2017. Mr. Tyson serves as Chairman (since 2014) and Chief Executive Officer (since 2013) of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals, also known as Kaiser Permanente, a leading integrated health care provider and not-for-profit health plan. In his 33 years with Kaiser Permanente, Mr. Tyson has served in roles ranging from hospital administrator to division president to President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Tyson also serves as Vice Chair of America’s Health Insurance Plans, Deputy Chairman of the International Federation of Health Plans and Steward of the World Economic Forum’s Global Challenge on the Future of Health. He also serves on the board of the American Heart Association and is Chair of the Bay Area Council. Mr. Tyson received a B.S. in Health Service Management and an M.B.A. in Health Service Administration from Golden Gate University.

Qualifications

Mr. Tyson brings an extensive background in management, operations and deep industry experience in the field of healthcare through his role as a Chief Executive Officer of a very large healthcare organization. Additionally, his commitment to public service and his leadership on several not-for-profit boards support our conclusion that Mr. Tyson has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

LOGO  

Robin Washington

Age: 55

 

Director Since: 2013

 

Committees: Audit & Finance

Robin Washington has served as a Director since September 2013. Ms. Washington has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, since February 2014. She joined Gilead as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2008. From 2006 to 2007, Ms. Washington served as Chief Financial Officer of Hyperion Solutions, an enterprise software company. Prior to Hyperion, Ms. Washington served in a number of executive positions with PeopleSoft, Inc., a provider of enterprise application software. Ms. Washington currently serves as a director of Honeywell International, Inc. During the past five years, Ms. Washington has served as a director of MIPS Technology, Inc. Ms. Washington is a certified public accountant and received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Qualifications

Ms. Washington brings extensive experience in management, operations and accounting in the technology sector to our Board of Directors. Her financial expertise in tax, financial reporting, accounting and controls, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, along with her service on the boards of other public companies, supports our conclusion that Ms. Washington has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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LOGO  

Maynard Webb

Age: 62

 

Director Since: 2006

 

Committees: Audit & Finance

                     Compensation

                     Merger & Acquisitions

                     (Chair)

Maynard Webb has served as a Director since September 2006. Mr. Webb is the founder of Webb Investment Network, an early stage venture capital firm he started in 2010. From 2006 to 2011, Mr. Webb served as Chief Executive Officer of LiveOps, Inc., a provider of on-demand call center solutions. From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Webb served as Chief Operating Officer of eBay Inc., an online global marketplace. From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Webb served as President of eBay Technologies. Prior to that, Mr. Webb served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Gateway, Inc., a computer manufacturer, and Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Bay Networks, Inc., a manufacturer of computer networking products. Mr. Webb currently serves as a director of Visa Inc. During the past five years, Mr. Webb also served as a director of Yahoo! Inc., where he previously served as Chairman of the board. Mr. Webb received a B.A.A. from Florida Atlantic University.

Qualifications

Mr. Webb brings extensive experience in management, engineering and technical operations to our Board of Directors. Additionally, his tenure in management positions at various technology companies, along with his service on the boards of other public companies, supports our conclusion that Mr. Webb has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

LOGO  

Susan Wojcicki

Age: 49

 

Director Since: 2014

 

Committees: Mergers & Acquisitions

Susan Wojcicki has served as a Director since December 2014. Ms. Wojcicki has served as Chief Executive Officer of YouTube, a digital video platform and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (previously Google Inc.), since February 2014. She joined Google as its marketing manager in 1999, and after serving in various positions in marketing, from April 2011 to January 2014, Ms. Wojcicki served as Google’s Senior Vice President of Advertising & Commerce. Prior to joining Google, she worked at Intel and served as a management consultant at both Bain & Company and R.B. Webber & Company. Ms. Wojcicki received an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard University, an M.S. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Qualifications

Ms. Wojcicki brings extensive experience in management, operations and marketing in the technology sector to our Board of Directors. Additionally, her expertise in technology, brand building and product development supports our conclusion that Ms. Wojcicki has the necessary and desired skills, experience and perspective to serve on our Board.

 

 

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  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

 

Board Independence

 

The Board believes that it should consist of a substantial majority of independent directors. The Board has determined that, except for Mr. Benioff and Mr. Block, each of our current directors has no material relationship with Salesforce and is independent within the meaning of the standards established by the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, as currently in effect. Mr. Lawrence Tomlinson, who retired in June 2017, was also an independent director throughout the period he served on the Board. In making that determination, the Board considered all relevant facts and circumstances, including the director’s commercial, industrial, banking, consulting, legal, accounting, charitable and familial relationships, and applied the following standards under NYSE rules, which provide that a director will not be considered independent if he or she:

 

  is currently an employee of Salesforce or has an immediate family member who is an executive officer of Salesforce;

 

  has been an employee of Salesforce within the past three years or has an immediate family member who has been an executive officer of Salesforce within the past three years;

 

  has, or has an immediate family member who has, received within the past three years more than $120,000 during any twelve-month period in direct compensation from Salesforce, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior service (provided
   

such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service), and other than a family member’s compensation for service as a non-executive employee;

 

  is a current partner or employee of a firm that is Salesforce’s internal or external auditor; has an immediate family member who is a current partner of such a firm; has an immediate family member who is a current employee of such firm and personally works on Salesforce’s audit; or was, or has an immediate family member who was within the last three years, a partner or employee of such a firm and personally worked on Salesforce’s audit within that time;

 

  has, or has an immediate family member who has, been employed as an executive officer of another company where any of Salesforce’s present executives have served on the other company’s compensation committee during the past three years; or

 

  is currently employed as an executive officer or employee, or has an immediate family member who is currently employed as an executive officer, of another company that makes payments to, or receives payments from, Salesforce for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeds the greater of (a) $1 million or (b) 2% of such other company’s consolidated gross revenues.
 

 

Board Leadership Structure

 

Currently, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Marc Benioff, also serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board believes that its current leadership structure, coupled with a strong emphasis on Board independence, provides effective independent oversight of management while allowing both the Board and management to benefit from Mr. Benioff’s leadership and years of experience in the Company’s business and the technology industry. Serving as both Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since 2001, Mr. Benioff has been the director most capable of effectively identifying strategic priorities, coordinating the board agenda to focus on discussions critical to the success of the Company and executing the Company’s strategy and business plans. Mr. Benioff possesses detailed and in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing the Company and its business. We believe this extensive Company-specific experience and expertise of our CEO, together with the outside experience, oversight and expertise of our independent directors, allows for differing perspectives and roles regarding strategy development that benefit our stockholders. Further, the Board believes that Mr. Benioff’s combined role enables decisive

leadership, ensures clear accountability and enhances the Company’s ability to communicate its message and strategy clearly and consistently to its stockholders, employees and customers. Given our strong business, operational and financial performance, the Board believes that stockholders are best served by continuing this leadership structure.

Importantly, the Board also has a strong and empowered Lead Independent Director who provides an effective independent voice in our leadership structure. The Lead Independent Director presides over the meetings of the independent directors, serves as a liaison between the independent directors and the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and has the authority generally held by a lead independent director and as the independent directors may determine from time to time. Sanford Robertson has served as the Lead Independent Director since June 2007 and his current two-year term will expire in June 2019. The Board continues to review the leadership of the Board on a regular basis.

 

 

Board Meetings and Director Communications

 

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2018, or fiscal 2018, the Board held six meetings. During fiscal 2018, all directors attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the total number of meetings of the Board and the total number of meetings held by any of the committees of the Board on which such director served during the period the director was on the Board or committee, with the

exception of Mr. Tyson. Mr. Tyson joined the Board in September 2017 and was unable to attend a previously scheduled meeting that was held shortly after his appointment to the Board, and thus attended one of the two board meetings held during the remainder of fiscal 2018.

 

 

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Directors are also expected to attend our annual meeting of stockholders absent an unavoidable and irreconcilable conflict. In fiscal 2018, all directors attended the annual meeting of stockholders.

The non-management members of the Board also meet in executive sessions without management present. At these sessions, the Lead Independent Director acts as Presiding Director. In the absence of the Lead Independent Director at any such executive session, the chair of the Audit and Finance Committee serves as Presiding Director.

 

Stockholders and other interested parties may communicate with the Lead Independent Director, or with any and all other members of the Board, by mail addressed to the intended recipient in care of our Corporate Secretary at salesforce.com, inc., The Landmark @ One Market, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105 (our “principal executive offices”) or by email to corporatesecretary@salesforce.com. The Corporate Secretary will periodically forward such communications or a summary thereof to the Board or the applicable director or directors.

 

 

Corporate Governance and Board Committees

 

The Company and the Board regularly review and evaluate the Company’s corporate governance practices. The Board has adopted corporate governance principles that address the composition of, and policies applicable to, the Board, as well as a Code of Conduct applicable to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

The Company’s corporate governance principles, set forth as Corporate Governance Guidelines, and its Code of Conduct are available in the Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at www.salesforce.com/company/investor/governance/ or in print by contacting Investor Relations at our principal executive offices. Any substantive amendments to or waivers of

the Code of Conduct relating to the executive officers or directors of the Company will be disclosed promptly on our website. The Company’s philosophy related to executive compensation is described in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this Proxy Statement.

The Board has also adopted a written charter for the Audit and Finance Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each committee charter is available in the Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at www.salesforce.com/company/investor/governance/ or in print by contacting Investor Relations at our principal executive offices.

 

 

Primary Committees of the Board of Directors

 

 

 

Director

 

  

 

 

Independent

 

    

 

 

Audit

 

    

 

 

Compensation

 

    

Nominating

 

 

 

Marc Benioff (Chairman & CEO)

 

           

 

Keith Block

 

           

 

Craig Conway

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Alan Hassenfeld

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neelie Kroes

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

Colin Powell

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sanford Robertson (Lead Independent Director)

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

Chair

 

 

 

 

 

John V. Roos

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

Chair

 

 

 

 

  

 

Bernard Tyson

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

Robin Washington

 

    

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

        Chair

 

 

 

 

     

 

Maynard Webb

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Susan Wojcicki

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                          

 

Total Meetings in Fiscal 2018

 

           

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

Audit and Finance Committee.    The Audit and Finance Committee (the “Audit Committee”) oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting process. Among other matters, the Audit Committee: evaluates independent registered public accountants’ qualifications, independence and performance; determines the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm (“independent auditors”); approves the retention of

the independent auditors to perform any proposed permissible non-audit services; considers the rotation of partners of the independent auditors on the Salesforce engagement team; reviews our consolidated financial statements; reviews our critical accounting policies and estimates; oversees our internal audit function; reviews with management and the Company’s independent auditors and internal auditors the adequacy of

 

 

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internal financial controls; oversees the Company’s financial and treasury policies, strategies and capital structure; annually reviews its charter and its performance; reviews and approves the scope of the annual audit and the audit fee; oversees management’s assessment and mitigation of enterprise risks, including cybersecurity risk; and discusses with management and the independent auditors the results of the annual audit and the review of our quarterly financial statements. The Audit Committee held eight meetings in fiscal 2018. The report of the Audit Committee is included in this Proxy Statement.

The current members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Washington, who is the committee chair, and Messrs. Hassenfeld, Robertson and Webb. The Board has determined that all members of our Audit Committee are independent and financially literate under applicable rules and regulations of the NYSE and the SEC. The Board has further determined that Ms. Washington qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC.

Compensation Committee.    The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation and benefits of our executive officers, including: reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers; evaluating the performance of these officers in light of those goals and objectives; and setting compensation of these officers taking into account such evaluations. The Compensation Committee may delegate its authority to one or more subcommittees or to one member of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee also oversees our equity and incentive-based plans and administers the issuance of stock options, restricted stock units and other awards under these plans. Although the Compensation Committee does not currently do so, it may delegate its authority to members of management to determine awards under the Company’s equity-based compensation plans for non-executive officer employees of the Company. The Compensation Committee has delegated authority to management to determine cash awards under our cash incentive plans for non-executive officers. The Compensation Committee also reviews and evaluates its performance, including compliance with its charter, and prepares any report required under SEC rules. The Compensation Committee held 12 meetings in fiscal 2018. A report of the Compensation Committee is included in this Proxy Statement.

The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage independent advisors, such as compensation consultants, to assist it in carrying out its responsibilities. The Compensation Committee periodically engages an outside consultant to advise on compensation-related matters.

The current members of the Compensation Committee are Messrs. Roos, who is the committee chair, Conway and Webb. The Board has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are independent under the applicable rules and regulations of the NYSE and the SEC.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.    The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Governance Committee”) is responsible for: identifying individuals qualified to become members of the Board; recommending to the Board director nominees for each election of directors; developing and recommending to the Board criteria for selecting qualified director candidates; considering committee member qualifications, appointment and removal; recommending corporate governance principles applicable to the Company; and providing oversight in the evaluation of the Board and each committee. The Governance Committee also periodically reviews the Company’s environmental, social and governance, or “ESG,” initiatives. The Governance Committee held five meetings in fiscal 2018.

The current members of the Governance Committee are Messrs. Robertson, who is the committee chair, Hassenfeld and General Powell. The Board has determined that all members of the Governance Committee are independent under applicable NYSE rules.

The Governance Committee uses a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating director nominees. The Governance Committee regularly assesses the appropriate size, composition and needs of the Board and its respective committees and the qualifications of candidates in light of these needs. Candidates may come to the attention of the Governance Committee through directors or management. If the Governance Committee believes that the Board requires additional candidates for nomination, the Governance Committee may engage, as appropriate, a third-party search firm to assist in identifying qualified candidates. The evaluation of these candidates may be based solely upon information provided to the Governance Committee or may also include discussions with persons familiar with the candidate, an interview of the candidate or other actions the Governance Committee deems appropriate, including the use of third parties to review candidates. Bernard Tyson was recommended to the Governance Committee by the Chief Executive Officer.

The Governance Committee will evaluate and recommend candidates for membership on the Board consistent with criteria established by the committee. Directors should possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, and be committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders. They must have an inquisitive and objective perspective and mature judgment. They must also have experience in positions with a high degree of responsibility and be leaders in the companies or institutions with which they are affiliated. The Governance Committee also focuses on diversity, such as diversity of gender, race and national origin, education, professional experience and differences in viewpoints and skills. The Governance Committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity; however, the Board and the Governance Committee believe that it is essential that the Board members represent diverse viewpoints. Director candidates also must have sufficient time available in the judgment of the Governance Committee to perform all Board and committee responsibilities.

 

 

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Members of the Board are expected to prepare for, attend and participate in all Board and applicable committee meetings. Other than the foregoing, there are no stated minimum criteria for director nominees, although the Governance Committee may also consider such other factors as it may deem, from time to time, are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Governance Committee will also seek appropriate input from the Chief Executive Officer from time to time in assessing the needs of the Board for relevant background, experience, diversity and skills of its members.

Stockholders may recommend director candidates for general consideration by the Governance Committee by submitting the individual’s name, qualifications and the other information set forth in our Bylaws applicable to director nominees by stockholders to the Secretary of the Company. The Governance Committee will evaluate any candidates recommended by stockholders against the same criteria and pursuant to the same policies and procedures applicable to the evaluation of candidates proposed by directors or management.

Other Committees.    Pursuant to the Company’s Bylaws, the Board may designate other standing or ad hoc committees to serve at the pleasure of the Board from time to time. For example, the Board has delegated certain authority to both a Real Estate Committee (comprised of Craig Conway (chair), Neelie Kroes and Sanford Robertson) and a Mergers and Acquisitions Committee (comprised of Maynard Webb (chair), Craig Conway, Sanford

Robertson and Susan Wojcicki). The Real Estate Committee met four times in fiscal 2018 and the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee met five times in fiscal 2018.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight.    The Board as a whole has responsibility for risk oversight. This oversight is conducted primarily through committees of the Board, as disclosed in the descriptions of each of the committees above and in the charters of each of the committees. The Audit Committee primarily oversees enterprise risks, including those associated with our financial statements, financial reporting, internal controls, accounting policies and cybersecurity. The Compensation Committee considers the risks associated with our compensation policies and practices, with respect to both executive compensation and employee compensation generally. All committees receive regular reports from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks within the Company. The Board periodically receives reports by each committee chair regarding the committee’s considerations and actions.

Proxy Access.    The Company’s Bylaws provide procedures that allow a stockholder or a group of up to 20 stockholders that has continuously owned for at least three years 3% or more of the Company’s common stock to nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials for an annual meeting of stockholders up to the greater of two directors or 20% of the total number of directors serving on the Board, provided the stockholder(s) and the nominee(s) satisfy the requirements specified in the Bylaws.

 

 

Compensation of Directors

 

Under our compensation arrangement for non-employee directors, each non-employee director receives a fee of $12,500 per fiscal quarter. In addition, the chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional $10,000 per quarter, and the chair of each other Board committee receives an additional $5,000 per quarter. The Lead Independent Director also receives an additional $30,000 per year.

During fiscal 2018, each non-employee director received a quarterly grant of fully-vested shares of our common stock for service during the respective preceding quarter with a dollar value intended to approximate $125,000 based on the average recent trading price over a period of time before the grant date. All equity awards were made pursuant to our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan.

We reimburse our non-employee directors for travel, lodging and other reasonable expenses incurred in connection with attending Board and committee meetings and other Company events.

The Board periodically evaluates the compensation of our non-employee directors, including the recommendations of the Governance Committee. The Board also considers input from the Compensation Committee’s compensation consultant, who reviews director pay levels at peer companies and provides feedback on where the Company is positioned relative to its peers.

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation earned during fiscal 2018 by our Board members. The table excludes Messrs. Benioff and Block who are Named Executive Officers of the Company and did not receive separate compensation as directors for fiscal 2018.

 

 

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Table of Contents
       

  DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED)  

 

 

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR FISCAL 2018

 

Name

   Fees Earned
or Paid in
Cash
     Stock
Awards
(3) (4)
     Total  

 

Craig Conway

 

  

 

 

 

 

$  70,000

 

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

613,962

 

 

 

 

Alan Hassenfeld

 

    

 

$  50,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

593,962

 

 

 

 

Neelie Kroes

 

    

 

$  50,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

593,962

 

 

 

 

Colin Powell

 

    

 

$  50,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

593,962

 

 

 

 

Sanford Robertson

 

    

 

$100,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

643,962

 

 

 

 

John V. Roos

 

    

 

$  70,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

613,962

 

 

 

 

Lawrence Tomlinson (1)

 

    

 

$  45,000

 

 

 

   $

 

274,423

 

 

 

   $

 

319,423

 

 

 

 

Bernard Tyson (2)

 

    

 

$  12,500

 

 

 

   $

 

138,665

 

 

 

   $

 

151,165

 

 

 

 

Robin Washington

 

    

 

$  70,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

613,962

 

 

 

 

Maynard Webb

 

    

 

$  70,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

613,962

 

 

 

 

Susan Wojcicki

 

    

 

$  50,000

 

 

 

   $

 

543,962

 

 

 

   $

 

593,962

 

 

 

(1) Compensation amounts reflect partial-year service for Mr. Tomlinson, who retired in June 2017.
(2) Mr. Tyson was appointed to the Board effective October 1, 2017.
(3) Stock awards consist solely of grants of fully-vested shares of Salesforce common stock. The amounts reported are the aggregate grant date fair value, which is calculated by multiplying the number of shares subject to the stock grant by the closing price of one share of common stock on the date of grant. No directors held unvested stock awards as of the end of fiscal 2018.
(4) During fiscal 2018, all directors (other than Mr. Tyson and Mr. Tomlinson) received stock awards of fully-vested shares of Salesforce common stock on February 22, 2017, May 22, 2017, August 22, 2017 and November 22, 2017, with grant date fair values of $141,013, $133,410, $130,874 and $138,665, respectively. Mr. Tyson received a stock award of fully-vested shares of Salesforce common stock on November 22, 2017, with a grant date fair value of $138,665. Mr. Tomlinson received stock awards of fully vested shares of Salesforce common stock on February 22, 2017 and May 22, 2017, with grant date fair values of $141,013 and $133,410, respectively.

Director Stock Ownership Requirement

 

The Board’s stock ownership policy provides that each non-employee director is required to attain, by the fifth anniversary of such director’s initial election to the Board, a minimum share ownership position of the lesser of (i) 7,500 shares of common

stock or (ii) such number of shares of common stock having an aggregate value of $400,000. As of April 1, 2018, all non-employee directors were in compliance with this stock ownership policy.

 

 

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Table of Contents

  SUSTAINABILITY, EQUALITY, AND PHILANTHROPY AT SALESFORCE  

 

       

 

SUSTAINABILITY, EQUALITY, AND
PHILANTHROPY AT SALESFORCE

 

We believe the business of business is improving the state of the world for all of our stakeholders, including our stockholders, customers, employees, community, environment and society. We are committed to creating a sustainable, low-carbon future,

advancing equality, and fostering employee success. We try to integrate social good into everything we do. All of these goals align with our long-term growth strategy and financial and operational priorities.

 

 

Protecting Our Planet

 

We are working to play a meaningful role in creating a sustainable, low-carbon future by integrating sustainability into our business operations. This includes managing our own environmental footprint as we continue to grow. In fiscal 2018, we achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and began delivering a carbon-neutral cloud for all customers. We are working toward a goal of 100 percent renewable energy for our global operations, and our data center site selection, green office initiatives, and energy sourcing practices are designed to help manage our future

carbon emissions. For example, in fiscal 2016, we signed two virtual power purchase agreements in West Virginia and Texas and, in fiscal 2018, we began sourcing 100 percent renewable energy for approximately 90 percent of our urban campus in San Francisco. In addition, we are committed to leveraging our people, technology and resources to help environmental causes around the world. In February 2018, we were ranked second on Barron’s list of the “100 Most Sustainable Companies.”

 

 

Fostering Employee Success

 

Equality is a core value of Salesforce. We have spearheaded initiatives to advance equal pay, equal advancement, equal opportunity and equal rights for our employees and the broader community. This includes our ongoing public commitment to eliminate gender-based wage disparities in our workforce. In fiscal 2017, we initiated our Equal Pay Assessment and subsequently adjusted our pay practices to eliminate statistically significant gender-associated differences in pay, committing approximately $8.7 million to this end to date. We continue to review our practices as part of our ongoing work to ensure that all employees at Salesforce are treated equally in pay, opportunity and advancement.

The Company has developed robust policies to evaluate pay levels throughout the organization. At Salesforce, we assess and target pay equity across our entire organization on an ongoing basis. As part of our overall commitment to advancing pay equity for all of our employees, we have pledged to evaluate our workforce on an ongoing basis to ensure that employees performing similar work at the same level are paid consistently. In addition, the fiscal 2018 CEO pay ratio has been reviewed with our Compensation Committee and is among the factors it expects to consider when making future executive compensation decisions.

 

 

Giving Back

 

From our very inception, Salesforce has been committed to giving back. We pioneered and have inspired other companies to adopt our 1-1-1 integrated philanthropy model, which leverages 1 percent of a company’s equity, employee time and product to help improve communities around the world. Together with the Salesforce Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and Salesforce.org, a nonprofit social enterprise, we have given approximately $200 million to charitable organizations, logged more than 2.6 million employee volunteer hours around the world

and provided more than 34,000 nonprofit and higher education organizations with the use of our service offerings for free or at a discount. In February 2018, we were ranked first on Fortune’s “Best Workplaces for Giving Back.” We believe that a company can do well, while also doing good in the world.

You can read more about these initiatives at:

https://www.salesforce.com/company/sustainability/.

 

 

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Table of Contents
       

  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND  RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS  

 

 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 1, 2018 by: (i) all those known by us to be beneficial owners of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock; (ii) each of our directors and director nominees; (iii) each Named Executive Officer; and (iv) all current directors and executive officers as a group. This table is based on information provided to us or filed with the SEC by our directors and director nominees, executive officers and principal stockholders. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes below, and subject to community property laws where applicable, each of the named persons has

sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares shown as beneficially owned.

Except as set forth below, the address of each stockholder listed in the following table is salesforce.com, inc., The Landmark @ One Market, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105. Applicable percentage ownership for our directors and executive officers in the following table is based on 731,267,787 shares of Salesforce common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2018, plus, as applicable, each holder’s options or other equity awards vesting or exercisable within 60 days thereof.

 

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner    Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned
     Percent of
Class
 

 

Five Percent Stockholders

 

                 

 

FMR LLC (1)

     84,301,017        11.5%  

245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210

 

     

 

The Vanguard Group (2)

     48,713,324        6.7%  

100 Vanguard Boulevard, Malvern, PA 19355

 

     

 

T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. (3)

     48,296,163        6.6%  

100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202

 

     

 

BlackRock, Inc. (4)

     39,895,020        5.5%  

55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10022

 

     

 

Directors and Named Executive Officers

 

                 

 

Marc Benioff (5)

 

    

 

37,230,012

 

 

 

    

 

5.1%

 

 

 

 

Keith Block (6)

 

    

 

792,297

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Craig Conway

 

    

 

9,828

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Alexandre Dayon (7)

 

    

 

407,726

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Parker Harris (8)

 

    

 

2,778,747

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Alan Hassenfeld (9)

 

    

 

148,323

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Mark Hawkins (10)

 

    

 

54,968

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Neelie Kroes

 

    

 

7,242

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Colin Powell

 

    

 

53,284

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Sanford R. Robertson

 

    

 

203,773

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

John V. Roos

 

    

 

15,126

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Bernard Tyson

 

    

 

2,468

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Robin Washington

 

    

 

34,173

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Maynard Webb (11)

 

    

 

35,754

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Susan Wojcicki

 

    

 

46,393

 

 

 

    

 

*

 

 

 

 

Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (20 Persons) (12)

 

    

 

44,056,148

 

 

 

    

 

6.0%

 

 

 

* Less than 1%.
(1) Based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2018 by FMR LLC, on behalf of itself, Crosby Advisors LLC, FIAM LLC, Fidelity (Canada) Asset Management ULC, Fidelity Institutional Asset Management Trust Company, Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, Fidelity Management & Research Company, FMR Co., Inc. and Strategic Advisers, Inc.

 

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  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED  STOCKHOLDER MATTERS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

(2) Based upon a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 7, 2018 by The Vanguard Group on behalf of itself, Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company and Vanguard Investments Australia, Ltd.
(3) Based upon a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2018 by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
(4) Based upon a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 23, 2018 by BlackRock, Inc., on behalf of itself, BlackRock Life Limited, BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Capital Management, BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., BlackRock Japan Co. Ltd., BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, Future Advisor Inc., BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Ltd., BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock (Luxembourg) S.A., BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited, BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited and BlackRock Fund Managers Ltd.
(5) Includes 3,873,212 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018. All other shares are held in the Marc R. Benioff Revocable Trust.
(6) Includes 772,679 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018 and upon settlement of RSUs vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018.
(7) Includes 369,104 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018.
(8) Includes 719,443 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018. Also includes 2,041,147 shares held in trusts.
(9) Includes 1,350 shares held by a family member.
(10) Includes 33,690 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018.
(11) All shares held in trust.
(12) Includes 6,548,859 shares issuable upon the exercise of options vested and exercisable as of March 1, 2018 or, assuming continued service to the Company, vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2018, and upon the settlement of RSUs vesting, assuming continued service to the Company, within 60 days of March 1, 2018.

 

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  EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION  

 

 

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

 

We currently maintain three equity compensation plans that provide for the issuance of shares of our common stock to our officers and other employees, directors and consultants: the 2004 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) and the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2013 Equity Plan”), which have both been approved by stockholders, and the 2014 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Inducement Plan”), which has not been approved by stockholders. We have also assumed certain plans

in connection with acquisitions, which plans have not been approved by Salesforce’s stockholders.

The following table sets forth information regarding outstanding stock options and restricted stock units as well as shares reserved for future issuance under the foregoing plans as of January 31, 2018:

 

 

  Plan category  

Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options, warrants
and rights

(a)

    

Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding
options,

warrants

and rights

(b) (1)

    

Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under  equity
compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))

(c)

 

 

  Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders

 

   

 

36,508,228(2)

 

 

 

    

 

$38.20

 

 

 

    

 

57,169,855(3)

 

 

 

 

  Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders

 

   

 

4,217,054(4)

 

 

 

    

 

$  9.27

 

 

 

    

 

661,564(5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Total

 

   

 

40,725,282    

 

 

 

    

 

$35.20

 

 

 

    

 

57,831,419    

 

 

 

 

(1) The weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights includes the purchase price of $0.001 per restricted stock unit.
(2) Consists of options and restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Equity Plan. Performance-based restricted stock units are for purposes of this column assumed to be payable at 100% of target. If instead the maximum amount of shares were achieved the number of securities to be issued would be 36,888,471.
(3) Consists of 7,518,906 shares available under the ESPP and 49,650,949 shares available under the 2013 Equity Plan. Offerings under the ESPP were authorized by the Board of Directors in September 2011.
(4) Consists of shares issuable under the 2014 Inducement Plan and the following plans, which have been assumed by us in connection with certain of our acquisition transactions: the Radian6 Technologies Inc. Third Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Radian6 Technologies, Inc. in May 2011; the Assistly, Inc. 2009 Stock Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Assistly, Inc. in September 2011; the Model Metrics, Inc. 2008 Stock Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Model Metrics, Inc. in December 2011; the 2Catalyze, Inc. Second Amended 2008 Stock Option Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of 2Catalyze, Inc. d/b/a Rypple in February 2012; the Buddy Media, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Buddy Media, Inc. in August 2012; the EdgeSpring, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of EdgeSpring, Inc. in June 2013; the ExactTarget, Inc. 2008 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of ExactTarget, Inc. in July 2013; the RelateIQ, Inc. 2011 Stock Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of RelateIQ, Inc. in August 2014; the SteelBrick Holdings, Inc. 2013 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of SteelBrick Inc. in December 2015; the MetaMind, Inc. 2014 Stock Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of MetaMind, Inc. in April 2016 (the “MetaMind Plan”); the Demandware, Inc. 2012 Stock Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Demandware, Inc. in July 2016; the Backchannel, Inc. 2012 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Quip, Inc. in August 2016; the BeyondCore, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan and the BeyondCore, Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of BeyondCore, Inc. in August 2016; and the Krux Digital, Inc. 2010 Stock Plan assumed by us with our acquisition of Krux Digital, Inc. in November 2016.
(5) Consists of the 2014 Inducement Plan and the MetaMind Plan. The material features of the 2014 Inducement Plan are described below.

Material Features of the 2014 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan

 

The 2014 Inducement Plan was established by the Board in July 2014 with the purpose of attracting, retaining and incentivizing employees in furtherance of Salesforce’s success. In accordance with NYSE rules, this plan is used to offer equity awards as material inducements for new employees to join Salesforce, typically in connection with acquisitions. As of July 2014, 335,000 shares of common stock were reserved solely for the granting of inducement stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other awards. In addition, 319,957 shares that were previously authorized for issuance under the Prior Inducement Plan as of July 9, 2014 were added to the 2014 Inducement Plan and any shares subject to outstanding awards under the Prior Inducement Plan that, after July 9, 2014, otherwise would have

returned to the Prior Inducement Plan under its terms (for example, due to the expiration or forfeiture of an award under the Prior Inducement Plan) will become available for issuance under the 2014 Inducement Plan, provided that the maximum number of such shares will not exceed 2,750,000. In September 2016, an additional 2,250,000 shares were reserved and authorized for issuance under the 2014 Inducement Plan. The 2014 Inducement Plan provides for the granting of stock options with exercise prices equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. The Company has also granted restricted stock unit awards under the 2014 Inducement Plan. As of January 31, 2018, 550,832 shares of Salesforce common stock remained available for issuance under the 2014 Inducement Plan.

 

 

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Table of Contents

  A LETTER FROM OUR COMPENSATION COMMITTEE  

 

       

 

A LETTER FROM OUR COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

May 2, 2018

Dear Fellow Stockholders,

We thank you for your continued support of Salesforce and wish to share with you how the Committee continues to evolve our executive compensation program and practices to support our long-term strategic goals and drive stockholder value.

Durable Growth

The Company’s outstanding full year financial results are a reflection of the relentless focus on customer success that has allowed the organization to scale and continue to strengthen its position as the world’s #1 CRM. No other enterprise software company has achieved such scale faster. Fiscal 2018 was another record-breaking year that saw the Company deliver significant growth and strong financial performance, including:

 

    Revenue of $10.48 Billion, up 25% year-over-year

 

    Operating cash flow of $2.74 Billion, up 27% year-over-year

 

    Deferred Revenue of $7.09 Billion, up 28% year-over-year

Salesforce prides itself not only on award-winning technology, but also on the talent of its people. The Company is thriving under the guidance and leadership of some of the brightest minds and most experienced executives in business. These executives, led by a visionary CEO, together with Salesforce’s more than 29,000 dedicated employees have done more than just create great products and great services. Their continuous focus on making our customers successful and improving the state of the world has earned Salesforce recognition as #1 in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” #15 in Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies,” #2 in Barron’s “100 Most Sustainable Companies” and #1 in Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”

Our Fiscal 2018 Compensation Program

As our business evolves and grows, we remain focused on ensuring our compensation program continues to support our strategic goals and reflects our commitment to pay and performance alignment. During fiscal 2018 we made one change that we believe serves to better align our incentive program with our business. We shifted the timing of our annual equity award cycle from November to March. This allows us to take recent full fiscal year company and individual performance into consideration when making annual equity award decisions. As a result of this shift in timing, our NEOs did not receive any equity grants in fiscal 2018. The resulting one-time reduction in total fiscal 2018 NEO compensation is not a reflection of company or individual performance. The equity awards we granted to our NEOs in March 2018, which will form a key part of their compensation for fiscal 2019, better reflect outstanding Company and individual performance during fiscal 2018. Equity incentives will remain an integral part of our incentive structure and will continue to be a significant component of our executive compensation program going forward, as we believe they support strong alignment of interests between our executives and our stockholders.

Further detail on our compensation program is included in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis that follows.

Ongoing Commitment to Stockholder Engagement

The Committee values the perspectives of our stockholders and takes stockholder feedback seriously, as evidenced by the continued evolution of our compensation program. We appreciate the strong support we received from stockholders on our 2017 advisory vote on executive compensation. We appreciate the discussions that many of you have had with us as our programs have evolved and we look forward to ongoing engagement with you. We are committed to maintaining a compensation structure that aligns pay with performance, drives long-term value creation, and reflects the perspectives of our stockholders.

Thank you for your continued support and investment in Salesforce.

Sincerely,

John V. Roos, Compensation Committee Chair

Craig Conway, Compensation Committee Member

Maynard Webb, Compensation Committee Member



 

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Table of Contents
       

  COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS  

 

 

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes the material elements of our executive compensation program, providing an overview of our executive compensation philosophy, policies, practices and the corresponding pay decisions for our “Named Executive Officers” (“NEOs”). Specifically, it describes how and why the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee” or “Committee”) arrived at the specific executive compensation decisions for and during fiscal 2018 (February 1, 2017 – January 31, 2018) and the key factors the Committee considered in making those decisions.

Named Executive Officers

 

For fiscal 2018, our NEOs included our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer and the three next most highly-compensated executive officers, who were:

 

  Marc Benioff, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”);

 

  Mark Hawkins, our President and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”);

 

  Keith Block, our Vice Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer;

 

  Parker Harris, our Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer; and

 

  Alexandre Dayon, our President and Chief Strategy Officer.

Executive Summary

 

Business Overview and Fiscal 2018 Performance Highlights

Salesforce is a leading provider of enterprise software, delivered through the cloud, with a focus on customer relationship management, or CRM. We introduced our first CRM solution in 2000, and we have since expanded our service offerings into new areas and industries with new editions, features and platform capabilities. Our core mission is to empower our customers to connect with their customers in entirely new ways through cloud, mobile, social, Internet of Things (“IoT”) and artificial intelligence technologies.

Salesforce is the fastest growing top-five enterprise software company in the world. In fiscal 2018, Salesforce surpassed $10 billion in annual revenue, reaching that milestone faster than any other enterprise software company. Salesforce has earned recognition as #1 in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” #15 in Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies,” #2 in Barron’s “100 Most Sustainable Companies” and #1 in Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”

In fiscal 2018, the Company delivered significant growth and strong financial performance, including:

 

  Revenue.    Fiscal 2018 revenue grew by 25% year-over-year.

 

  Operating Cash Flow.    Fiscal 2018 operating cash flow grew by 27% year-over-year.

 

  Deferred and Unbilled Deferred Revenue.    Fiscal 2018 deferred revenue grew by 28% year-over-year, and unbilled deferred revenue (representing business that is contracted but unbilled and off the balance sheet) grew by 48% year-over year.

 

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Revenue Operating Cash Flow

 

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  COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Return to Stockholders

We have delivered significant long-term TSR as evidenced by the chart below, which shows how a $100 investment in Salesforce on January 31, 2013 would have grown to $265 on January 31, 2018. The chart also compares the TSR on an investment in our common stock to the same investment in the S&P 500 Index, the Nasdaq Computer & Data Processing Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index over the last five fiscal years.

 

 

LOGO

 

     1/31/2013      1/31/2014      1/31/2015      1/31/2016      1/31/2017      1/31/2018  

 

salesforce.com

 

    

 

$100

 

 

    

 

$141

 

 

 

    

 

$131

 

 

 

    

 

$158

 

 

 

    

 

$184

 

 

 

    

 

$265

 

 

 

 

S&P 500 Index

 

    

 

$100

 

 

    

 

$119

 

 

 

    

 

$133

 

 

 

    

 

$130

 

 

 

    

 

$152

 

 

 

    

 

$188

 

 

 

 

Nasdaq Computer & Data Processing Index

 

    

 

$100

 

 

 

    

 

$128

 

 

 

    

 

$152

 

 

 

    

 

$158

 

 

 

    

 

$196

 

 

 

    

 

$277

 

 

 

 

Nasdaq 100 Index

 

    

 

$100

 

 

    

 

$129

 

 

 

    

 

$152

 

 

 

    

 

$157

 

 

 

    

 

$187

 

 

 

    

 

$254

 

 

 

 

Data for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Nasdaq Computer & Data Processing Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index assume reinvestment of dividends. The comparisons in the graph above are based upon historical data and are not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

As shown above, the Company has shown consistently strong performance with a stock price that has appreciated substantially over the past five years. For example, our stock price on February 1, 2013 was $43.76 (as adjusted for our April 2013 stock split), and our stock price on February 1, 2018 was $112.74, approximately 2.576x the February 2013 stock price.

Fiscal 2018 Compensation Program—Highlights

Highlights of our fiscal 2018 executive compensation program were:

 

  Kept Named Executive Officers’ Base Salary and Target Cash Bonus at Prior Levels.    In fiscal 2018, we kept the CEO’s base salary and target bonus the same as in fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017. We kept fiscal 2018 base salary and target bonus for our other NEOs at the same levels as for fiscal 2017.

 

  Changed Annual Equity Award Grant Cycle Timing to Align with Fiscal Year Results.    The fiscal 2018 executive compensation program reflects one significant change, which relates to the timing of our annual equity award grant cycle. Historically, we granted equity awards annually in November. The Committee determined to move our annual grants from November to March. This change allows the Compensation Committee to consider Company and individual performance for the full, recently completed fiscal year when making annual equity award decisions. The transition to this new grant cycle resulted in a one-time delay to our annual equity award program, with no annual grants occurring for a 16-month period, including all of fiscal 2018. This significantly impacted the total fiscal 2018 compensation reported for all of our NEOs in our Summary Compensation Table. The reduction is not a reflection on individual or Company performance. The fiscal 2019 equity awards, summarized on page 30, reflect outstanding Company and individual performance during fiscal 2018. The delay in the equity grant cycle was also taken into account by the Compensation Committee when setting equity award amounts for fiscal 2019.

 

Comparison of Cumulative Total Return of salesforce.com, inc.

 

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Stockholder Outreach, Board Responsiveness, Program Evolution

 

Evolution of our Executive Compensation Program

Our Compensation Committee has put considerable thought and care into evolving our executive compensation program over the last few years. We conduct extensive ongoing outreach with our stockholders. The stockholder perspectives that we receive, through direct engagement as well as through voting decisions, are very valuable to our Compensation Committee and Board and have helped inform the evolution of our program. For example, over the past three fiscal years we have:

 

  Implemented performance-based RSUs (“PRSUs”) for the CEO in fiscal 2016

 

  Extended the grant of PRSUs to all NEOs in fiscal 2017

 

  Required above-median relative total shareholder return (“TSR”) performance to achieve target payouts for all PRSUs

 

  Continued to maintain rigorous performance goals each year for our cash incentive plan, including performance targets that exceed our external financial guidance

 

  Changed the timing of our annual equity award cycle to better align with the Company’s fiscal year, so the Compensation Committee can evaluate recent full fiscal year Company and individual performance when making annual equity grant decisions

 

  Increased share ownership requirements for the Board and executives in fiscal 2016

Compensation Philosophy and Practices

 

Compensation Philosophy, Objectives and Challenges

 

Philosophy and Objectives.    Our compensation philosophy is driven by our objective to attract and retain the premier talent needed to lead our Company in a dynamic, innovative and extremely competitive environment and to strongly align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders for the long term. To accomplish this, we use compensation structures directly tied to the performance of our common stock, as well as key drivers of Company performance, including revenue, operating cash flow and non-GAAP income from operations. Our executive compensation is aligned with our overall business strategy, with a focus on driving growth and long-term value for our stockholders.

Our executive compensation program is structured to use a mix of base salary, annual performance-based cash incentive awards and long-term equity awards to incentivize and reward those individuals who make the greatest contributions to our performance and creation of stockholder value over time. Within this mix, by far the largest portion has historically been in the form of long-term equity awards (other than in fiscal 2018 as a result of the change in equity award grant timing noted above). The majority of our executive compensation is variable, utilizing an appropriate balance of short- and long-term incentives.

Challenges.    We operate in a highly competitive market and industry, and the competition for executive talent continues to intensify. The challenges we face in hiring and retaining executives are due to a number of factors, including:

 

  Highly Competitive Cloud Computing Industry — We are a pioneer in the innovative and highly competitive enterprise cloud computing market. We are, however, an established, large public company, and some prospective executives may believe there is less opportunity to realize significant appreciation through equity compensation at an established public company of our size as compared with a privately-held start-up or early stage public company. Further, some of our competitors are much larger than we are and may be able to offer higher compensation.
  Fiercely Competitive Employee Retention Environment — In the technology industry, there is substantial and continuous competition for executives with the experience and aptitude to motivate and lead engineers in designing, developing and managing software and Internet-related services, as well as qualified sales and operations personnel familiar with the technology industry. Our headquarters are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, where competition for executive talent is particularly fierce. Further, our success has made our employees and executives more attractive as candidates for employment with other companies, and they are subject to significant ongoing recruiting efforts by other companies in the technology industry.

 

  High Growth — We are a high-growth company that continues to experience rapid changes to our technology, personnel and business tactics. We have experienced rapid growth in the geographic breadth and technical scope of our operations, along with the number of personnel we employ. Not all executives desire or are suited to manage in such an environment, making the services of our current executives more valuable and in some cases hindering our efforts to recruit new executives.

 

  Executive Background — We seek to recruit and retain experienced executives with specific skills in key functional areas who have worked in a high-growth environment comparable to ours. The number of executives with the most desirable experience is relatively low and proven executives are difficult to find. We have expanded our recruiting efforts both geographically and into other industries and sectors, which leads to increased complexity in recruiting efforts and has required us to be more flexible with our executive compensation packages.

Given this hiring environment, our compensation program is designed to be competitive with those companies with whom we compete for talent and to strengthen our ability to attract and retain the caliber of employees we need to sustain our industry-leading success.

 

 

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Compensation and Governance Practices and Policies

 

We endeavor to maintain strong governance standards in our policies and practices related to executive compensation. Below

is a summary of our key executive compensation and corporate governance practices.

 

 

 

What We Do

 

  

What We Don’t Do

 

 

 Actively engage in year-round dialogue with our stockholders and incorporate feedback into our compensation programs

 

  

×   No pension plans or Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans

 

 

 Significant portion of compensation for Named Executive Officers is at risk, based on both the Company’s absolute performance and performance relative to peers

 

  

×    No stock option repricing

 

 

 Provide compensation mix that more heavily weights variable pay

 

  

×    No hedging or pledging of our securities

 

 

 Utilize performance-based RSUs for all NEOs

 

  

×    No excise tax gross-ups upon a change of control

 

 

 Maintain stringent stock ownership requirements for executives and directors

 

    
 

 Annual advisory vote on executive compensation

 

    
 

 Rigorous goal-setting, including performance-based RSUs that require above-median relative performance to earn target payout

 

    
 

 Regular reviews of executive compensation and peer group data

 

    
 

 Maintain a compensation clawback policy

 

    
 

 Use an independent compensation consultant

 

    
 

 Double-trigger cash, option and RSU change of control benefits

 

    

Compensation Elements and Compensation for Named Executive Officers

 

We award cash compensation to our NEOs in the form of base salaries and annual cash incentives under our Kokua Bonus Plan, and we award equity compensation in the form of stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and PRSUs. Our CEO’s equity compensation consists solely of stock options and PRSUs. To a lesser extent we also provide certain other benefits, generally consistent with what we provide to other employees, as described further below. We believe that each of these compensation elements is necessary to attract and retain individuals in a very competitive market for executive talent.

 

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A description of our key pay elements, the applicable performance measures and the rationale for each element are set forth in the following table:

 

 

LOGO

 

Base Salaries

We believe we must offer competitive base salaries to attract, motivate and retain all employees, including our executives. The Compensation Committee has generally set the base salaries for our executives, including the NEOs other than our CEO, based on three primary factors:

 

  a comparison to the base salaries paid by the companies in our compensation peer group;

 

  the overall compensation that each executive may potentially receive during his or her employment with us; and

 

  internal parity considerations with respect to the base salaries of other executives who are comparably situated in terms of reporting structure and level of responsibility.

In the second half of fiscal 2017, the Compensation Committee conducted a review of our executive compensation program for purposes of determining the base salaries and bonus opportunity for our executives for fiscal 2018, taking into account the above factors as well as overall Company and individual performance and the roles and responsibilities of each of our executives. For fiscal 2018, the Compensation Committee set base salaries for the NEOs at the levels shown below, maintaining each at the fiscal 2017 level.

 

  Named Executive Officer   Fiscal 2018

Base Salary

 

Change from  

Fiscal 2017

  Mr. Benioff   $1,550,000   No change
  Mr. Hawkins   $   750,000   No change
  Mr. Block   $1,150,000   No change
  Mr. Harris   $   900,000   No change
  Mr. Dayon   $   900,000   No change

Performance-Based Cash Bonuses

We provide annual performance-based cash incentive awards linked to achievement against certain corporate performance goals under our broad-based Kokua Bonus Plan. The Compensation Committee believes that the annual performance metrics used in the bonus plan contribute to driving long-term stockholder value, play an important role in influencing executive performance and are an important component of our compensation program to help attract, motivate and retain our executives and other employees.

Under the Kokua Bonus Plan, the Compensation Committee establishes three bonus pool targets: one for our executive officers, including the NEOs, a second for non-executive officers at the Vice President level and above, and a third for employees at the level of Senior Director and below. Each pool may be funded based on achievement of certain Company performance goals pre-established by the Committee for each of the three groups. The performance goals applicable to executive officers in fiscal 2018 are discussed in more detail below.

Typically, after the first half of the fiscal year, we pay 25% of the full target bonus amount, and after the end of the fiscal year, we pay the remaining amount. The remaining amount is determined based on the level of achievement against the applicable Company performance goals, and may also take into account individual performance.

The Compensation Committee administers the Kokua Bonus Plan with respect to our executive officers and determines the amounts of any awards under this plan to our executive officers. The Committee may increase or decrease awards under this plan in its discretion based on factors the Committee deems appropriate,

 

 

Pay Component FY 2018 Metric Rationale Long-Term Equity Incentives Annual Cash Incentive Base Salary Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Restricted Stock Units Stock Options Annual Performance-Based Cash Bonus Relative TSR Stock Price Stock Price Revenue Operating Cash Flow Non-GAAP Income from Operations Base Salary Establishes direct alignment with Company and stock price performance and the interests of stockholders—CEO LTI mix (PRSUs and stock options) establishes even greater emphasis on Company performance Drives achievement of key annual corporate performance goals that align with our strategy and that are used by investors to evaluate our financial performance Provides compensation for day-to-day responsibilities for all employees

 

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including an assessment of individual performance and input from our CEO.

Fiscal 2018 Target Cash Bonus Opportunity

To establish our executive officers’ individual target cash bonus opportunities, which are expressed as a percentage of base salary, the Compensation Committee considers competitive pay data, input from its compensation consultant, and the level,

position, objectives and scope of responsibilities of each executive, as well as considerations of internal parity among similarly situated Company executives.

In late fiscal 2017, based on its review of our executive compensation program, peer company data, and the other factors described above, the Compensation Committee approved the following NEO target annual cash bonus opportunities for fiscal 2018, which remained unchanged from fiscal 2017 levels.

 

 

Named Executive

Officer

 

Fiscal

2018 Target

Cash Bonus
Opportunity

(as a

Percentage

of Base
Salary)

   

Fiscal

2018 Target
Cash Bonus
Opportunity

  Change from
Fiscal 2017

 

Mr. Benioff

 

   

 

200%

 

 

 

 

$3,100,000

 

 

No change

 

 

Mr. Hawkins

 

   

 

100%

 

 

 

 

$   750,000

 

 

No change

 

 

Mr. Block

 

   

 

100%

 

 

 

 

$1,150,000

 

 

No change

 

 

Mr. Harris

 

   

 

100%

 

 

 

 

$   900,000

 

 

No change

 

 

Mr. Dayon

 

   

 

100%

 

 

 

 

$   900,000

 

 

No change

 

 

The Compensation Committee maintained Mr. Benioff’s target bonus opportunity at 200% of base salary for fiscal 2018 in light of our continuing growth and success, the increasing size and complexity of our business and our overall ongoing Company performance, including significant revenue growth.

Fiscal 2018 Cash Bonus Pool Payout Metrics, Performance and Fiscal 2018 Payouts

For fiscal 2018, the amount of the bonus pool for executive officers was based on our performance during the fiscal year compared to pre-established target levels for three equally weighted measures. The Compensation Committee believes that

these measures and this weighting are appropriate to incentivize achievement of certain annual corporate performance goals that further our strategy and that are used by investors to evaluate our financial performance.

The Compensation Committee believes that targets for the cash pool should be rigorous and challenging and therefore it has typically set the targets at levels exceeding the financial guidance the Company publishes at the beginning of the fiscal year. Additionally, as shown below, the fiscal 2018 targets were significantly higher than the fiscal 2017 targets.

 

 

 

Annual Bonus Performance Metric Targets

(all amounts in millions)

 

    

 

Fiscal 2017

 

    

Fiscal 2018

 

 
  

 

Guidance*

 

    

Target

 

    

Actual

 

    

Guidance**

 

    

Target

 

    

Actual

 

    

Achievement

 

 

 

Revenue

 

   $

 

8,080 - $8,120  

 

 

 

   $

 

8,268

 

 

 

   $

 

8,272

 

 

 

   $

 

10,150 - $10,200  

 

 

 

   $

 

10,298

 

 

 

   $

 

10,480

 

 

 

    

 

Exceeded

 

 

 

 

Operating Cash Flow

 

   $

 

1,984 - $2,000  

 

 

 

   $

 

2,118

 

 

 

   $

 

2,162

 

 

 

   $

 

2,594 - $2,616  

 

 

 

   $

 

2,625

 

 

 

   $

 

2,738

 

 

 

    

 

Exceeded

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Income from Operations

 

     N/A        $ 1,170      $ 1,186        N/A        $ 1,516      $ 1,520        Exceeded  

 

 

* Guidance as published at the beginning of fiscal 2017 on February 26, 2016.
** Guidance as published at the beginning of fiscal 2018 on February 28, 2017.

 

For purposes of the Kokua Bonus Plan, “Revenue” is defined as our GAAP revenues, as may be adjusted to exclude certain acquisitions. “Operating Cash Flow” is defined as our GAAP operating cash flow. “Non-GAAP Income from Operations” is defined as our non-GAAP income from operations (revenues less cost of revenues and operating expenses, excluding the impact of stock-based compensation expense and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets), as adjusted to exclude certain acquisitions and not including the impact of amounts payable under the Kokua Bonus Plan.

The Compensation Committee believes that basing the executive officer bonus pool under the Kokua Bonus Plan on these measures aligns executive incentives with stockholder interests in accordance with our compensation philosophy.

The Compensation Committee has the discretion to increase or decrease the bonus amounts actually paid to individual executives but did not exercise such discretion for fiscal 2018 awards, although the Company’s performance for fiscal 2018 exceeded the target for all three measures. Instead, the Compensation

 

 

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Committee capped funding of the executive officer bonus pool and set the amounts payable to each individual NEO with respect to fiscal 2018 at 100% of the target opportunity.

Accordingly, the cash bonuses paid to the NEOs for fiscal 2018 under the Kokua Bonus Plan were:

 

 

Named Executive Officer

 

  

Fiscal 2018 Bonus Payment

 

 

 

Mr. Benioff

 

    

 

$3,100,000

 

 

 

 

Mr. Hawkins

 

    

 

$   750,000

 

 

 

 

Mr. Block

 

    

 

$1,150,000

 

 

 

 

Mr. Harris

 

    

 

$   900,000

 

 

 

 

Mr. Dayon

 

    

 

$   900,000

 

 

 

Equity Compensation

The Compensation Committee periodically reviews our equity compensation program from a market perspective as well as in the context of our overall compensation philosophy. The Compensation Committee also considers the appropriateness of various equity vehicles, such as stock options, PRSUs and RSUs, as well as overall program costs (which include both stockholder dilution and compensation expense), when evaluating the long-term incentive mix. Further, the Compensation Committee considers peer company data and competitive positioning analysis, each executive’s individual performance, as described below, as well as stockholder input.

Stock Options

We grant stock options to our executives to align their interests with those of our stockholders and as an incentive to remain with us. The Compensation Committee believes that options to purchase shares of our common stock, with an exercise price equal to the market price of our common stock on the date of grant, are inherently performance-based and are a very effective tool to motivate our executives to build stockholder value and reinforce our position as a growth company. With stock options, our executives can realize value only to the extent that the market price of our common stock increases during the period that the option is outstanding, which provides a strong incentive to our executives to increase stockholder value. Further, because these options typically vest over a four-year period, they incentivize our executives to build value that can be sustained over time.

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)

We also grant restricted stock units, or RSUs, to our executives and other employees. RSUs align the interests of our executives and other employees with those of our stockholders and help manage the dilutive effect of our equity compensation program. Our RSUs are subject to time-based vesting. Because RSUs have value to the recipient even in the absence of stock price appreciation, RSUs help us retain and incentivize employees during periods of market volatility, and also result in our granting fewer shares of common stock than through stock options of equivalent grant date fair value. Our RSUs typically vest over a four-year period, and we believe that, like stock options, they help incentivize our executives to build value that can be sustained over time.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (PRSUs)

We also grant equity awards subject to pre-established performance-based vesting conditions. We initially granted PRSUs to our CEO in fiscal 2016 and, in fiscal 2017, the Compensation Committee granted PRSUs to all of the NEOs, including our CEO. As discussed above, no PRSUs or other equity awards were granted to the NEOS during fiscal 2018 due to the change in timing of our annual equity award cycle.

The PRSUs that we have granted to date contain the following key terms:

 

  A single, three-year performance period

 

  The performance metric is three-year relative TSR, as compared to the NASDAQ 100 Index group of companies as of the grant date

 

  Target payout requires 60th percentile TSR performance percentile

 

  No payout if performance is below the 30th TSR percentile

 

  No payout above target if TSR is negative on an absolute basis

 

  A maximum payout capped at 2x target

 

  Each percentile of TSR performance below target reduces payout by 3.3333%, whereas performance above target increases payout by only 2.5641%

In developing the performance conditions, performance period, comparison group, payout scale and other terms of the PRSUs, the Compensation Committee undertook significant deliberation, considering input received from stockholders, market data and the advice of its compensation consultant. The Compensation Committee also considered that the annual cash incentive plan already incentivizes performance on three key Company-specific financial measures, and the importance of emphasizing holistic Company performance, as opposed to an isolated metric; the importance of setting a sufficiently difficult target for maximum payout; the benefit of a large and objectively determined performance comparator group; and the overarching goal of an incentive clearly and directly aligned with stockholder interests. The chart and table below illustrate the potential PRSU payouts based on relative TSR percentile performance.

 

 

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Percentile Rank

 

  

Payout if TSR ³ 0

 

  

Payout if TSR < 0  

 

 

99th

 

  

200%    

 

  

100%    

 

 

90th

 

  

177%    

 

  

100%    

 

 

80th

 

  

151%    

 

  

100%    

 

 

70th

 

  

126%    

 

  

100%    

 

 

60th

 

  

100%    

 

  

100%    

 

 

50th

 

  

67%    

 

  

67%    

 

 

40th

 

  

33%    

 

  

33%    

 

 

30th

 

  

0%    

 

  

0%    

 

Additional vesting rules apply in the event of a change of control of the Company, as described under “Employment Contracts and Certain Transactions—Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units” beginning on page 41.

Fiscal 2018 Equity Award Decisions; Annual Grant Cycle — Change of Timing

We did not grant equity awards in fiscal 2018 to our NEOs due to a change in the timing of our annual equity award program. Historically, the Company’s annual equity award grants for executives and other stock-eligible employees have occurred in November. The Compensation Committee determined to move the timing for these grants to March. This change resulted in a period of one year and four months during which no equity awards were granted to our NEOs. Fiscal 2017 annual equity awards were granted in November 2016 and the next annual awards were not granted until March 2018, in fiscal 2019.

Changing the annual equity grant cycle from November to March is intended to afford the Compensation Committee the ability to evaluate Company and individual performance for the full, recently completed fiscal year when making annual equity award decisions, given that the Company’s fiscal year ends on January 31 and our full fiscal year financial results are typically finalized by the end of February.

As a result of this change, our Summary Compensation Table reports significantly lower total compensation for all NEOs for fiscal 2018 because no equity awards were granted to our NEOs during the year. Fiscal 2018 was a transitional year in this regard, and our fiscal 2018 reported compensation amounts should be considered anomalous for this reason. The reduction in total compensation for each of our NEOs for fiscal 2018 resulting from this change in our program timing is not a reflection of individual or Company performance.

Additionally, the Compensation Committee took into account this one-time delay in program timing when making decisions regarding fiscal 2019 equity awards for our NEOs. Summary information about the NEOs’ fiscal 2019 equity awards and other 2019 compensation decisions is provided on page 30 below.

CEO Security Program

We have historically sponsored a comprehensive personal security program for our CEO. The Compensation Committee continues to believe that amounts paid by the Company for this security program have been reasonable, necessary and for the Company’s benefit. However, in the context of our ongoing evaluation of our overall executive compensation practices in recent years and in order to allow for continued stockholder engagement on this topic, for fiscal 2018, the Compensation Committee decided to limit the Company-paid portion of the CEO security program to cover only security services provided at business facilities and during business-related travel. As a result, no amounts are reported as compensation for personal security for our CEO for fiscal 2018 in the Summary Compensation Table.

We sought specific feedback from our major institutional investors on this topic during fiscal 2018. Our stockholders agreed that, in certain circumstances, personal security services can be a necessary component of an overall executive compensation program, and that any such program should align with the executive’s security profile. Factors contributing to an executive’s security profile can include the size, location and prominence of the company, overall public visibility and accessibility of the executive, and whether the company or the executive is associated with controversial topics. Taking these factors into consideration, as well as trends in the overall security climate, the Compensation Committee concluded that for fiscal 2019, sponsoring a comprehensive personal security program for our CEO is the right approach for his safety and for the Company and its stockholders. The Compensation Committee will periodically review the nature and cost of this program in relation to our CEO’s security profile.

Benefits

Like other employees, our executive officers, including the NEOs, participate in our employee benefit and welfare plans, including medical and dental care plans, a fitness reimbursement plan and a 401(k) plan. We generally do not provide our executives, including the NEOs, with additional retirement benefits, pensions, perquisites or other personal benefits, except the CEO security program as described above. We also occasionally provide certain benefits on an ad hoc basis, as noted for our NEOs in our Summary Compensation Table, if we believe that doing so is appropriate, reasonable and serves the interests of the Company, typically on the same terms we would provide such benefits for other employees. For example, we covered employee and guest costs associated with attending certain motivational and leadership Company events in fiscal 2018, as well as the associated taxes, for NEOs consistent with how we treated this benefit for all other employees who attended these events.

 

 

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Compensation-Setting Process

 

Role of the Compensation Committee, Tally Sheets and Competitive Data

The Compensation Committee oversees and administers our executive compensation program in accordance with its Charter, which can be viewed in the Corporate Governance section of our Investor Relations website at http://investor.salesforce.com/about-us/investor/corporate-governance/. The Committee’s role includes oversight of our equity and incentive-based plans.

The Compensation Committee meets regularly throughout the year, including 12 times in fiscal 2018. At least annually, it reviews the executive compensation program overall, and establishes base salaries, target annual cash bonus opportunities and equity grants (if any) for the fiscal year.

In setting these elements of compensation, the Compensation Committee reviews the total target compensation for our executives and also considers developments in compensation practices outside of the Company. Specifically, the Compensation Committee is provided with competitive positioning data for similarly situated executives at companies in our peer group, as well as summary consolidated information about our executives’ total compensation and pay history (commonly called “tally sheets”) to use in setting individual compensation elements and making decisions on total executive compensation levels.

Peer data is a helpful reference for the Compensation Committee to assess the competitiveness and appropriateness of our executive compensation program within our industry sector and the broader business community. Ultimately, the Compensation Committee applies its own business judgment and experience to determine the individual compensation elements, the amount of each compensation element and total target compensation. The Compensation Committee does not set or target the compensation of our executives at specific levels or within specified percentile ranges relative to peer company pay levels. Depending upon Company and individual performance, as well as the various other factors discussed in this Compensation Discussion and Analysis, target and actual total direct compensation of our executives, as well as individual compensation elements, may be within, below or above the market range for their positions.

Role of Committee Advisors

The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage its own advisors to assist in carrying out its responsibilities. As in the past, the Compensation Committee continued to engage the services of Compensia, Inc., an independent, national compensation consulting firm (the “compensation consultant”), in fiscal 2018. The compensation consultant provides the Compensation Committee and the Board with guidance regarding the amount and types of compensation that we provide to our executives, how these compare to peer company compensation practices and advice regarding other compensation-related matters. The compensation consultant also provides the Compensation Committee with advice related to our equity plans

and provides the Board with data that helps the Board develop the Board’s compensation program.

Representatives of the compensation consultant attend meetings of the Compensation Committee as requested and also communicate with the Compensation Committee outside of meetings. The compensation consultant reports to the Compensation Committee rather than to management, although representatives of the firm may meet with members of management, including our CEO and executives in our Employee Success (human resources) department, for purposes of gathering information on proposals that management may make to the Compensation Committee. During fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2018, the compensation consultant met with various executives to collect data and obtain management’s perspective on the fiscal 2018 compensation for our executives. The Compensation Committee may replace its compensation consultant or hire additional advisors at any time.

Role of Peer Companies

The Compensation Committee regularly reviews the appropriateness of the compensation peer group used by the compensation consultant to generate competitive pay data for the Committee’s review in connection with executive compensation decisions.

In the second half of fiscal 2017, when the Committee evaluated our executive compensation program and set fiscal 2018 base salaries and target bonus opportunities, the compensation consultant provided a comparative analysis of our executive compensation program based on pay practices of the group of peer companies listed below (the “2018 Peer Group”). Selected based on similarity to us on various financial and other measures, such as industry, revenue, market capitalization, number of employees and growth history and potential as well as competition for executives, the 2018 Peer Group was:

 

Activision Blizzard, Inc.        LinkedIn Corporation
Adobe Systems, Inc.      Microsoft Corporation
Amazon.com, Inc.      Netflix, Inc.
CA Technologies, Inc.      Oracle Corporation
Cerner Corporation      SAP
Citrix Systems, Inc.      Symantec Corporation
eBay Inc.      The Priceline Group Inc. (now Booking Holdings Inc.)
Expedia, Inc.     
Facebook, Inc.      Twitter, Inc.
IBM      VMware, Inc.
Intuit, Inc.        Workday, Inc.

In addition, the Compensation Committee reviewed aggregated survey data, which provided additional context regarding executive compensation practices in the marketplace, drawn from a Radford Custom Compensation Survey. The Compensation Committee also from time to time reviews compensation data from certain other companies in the market for the executive talent for whom we compete.

 

 

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  COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Role of Executive Officers

Our CEO provides general input to the Compensation Committee with respect to the compensation of executive officers who report directly to him, including the other NEOs, and reviews their performance at least annually. Our CEO considers all relevant factors in his review, including each executive officer’s performance and accomplishments during the year, areas of strength and areas for development. Our CEO may also meet with the compensation consultant if he chooses to do so as he prepares his recommendation. The Compensation Committee takes our CEO’s general input into consideration when determining and approving executive officer compensation, including for the NEOs other than the CEO.

The executives who lead our Legal and Global Employee Success organizations provide general administrative support to the Compensation Committee throughout the year, including providing legal advice and overseeing the documentation of equity plans and awards as approved by the Compensation Committee, and attending Compensation Committee meetings as requested.

Role of Stockholder Input

In setting the form and amount of compensation for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee also considers the voting results from our most recent annual stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation (approximately 96% support at our 2017 Annual Meeting) as well as specific input provided by stockholders through our year-round engagement activities.

 

 

Summary Information Regarding Fiscal 2019 Compensation Decisions

 

Below is summary information regarding Compensation Committee decisions about fiscal 2019 executive compensation. Our Proxy Statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting will provide additional detail on fiscal 2019 compensation matters.

In February 2018, the Compensation Committee set fiscal 2019 base salaries and target bonus opportunities, expressed as a percentage of base salary, for the NEOs as follows:

 

Named Executive Officer   

Fiscal 2019

Base Salary

     Fiscal 2019
Target Bonus
 

 

Mr. Benioff

 

   $

 

1,550,000

 

 

 

    

 

200%

 

 

 

 

Mr. Hawkins

 

   $

 

   900,000

 

 

 

    

 

100%

 

 

 

 

Mr. Block

 

   $

 

1,250,000

 

 

 

    

 

100%

 

 

 

 

Mr. Harris

 

   $

 

1,000,000

 

 

 

    

 

100%

 

 

 

 

Mr. Dayon

 

   $

 

   900,000

 

 

 

    

 

100%

 

 

 

In February 2018, the Compensation Committee also determined to sponsor a Company-paid comprehensive personal security program for our CEO in fiscal 2019. Additional background is provided above under “CEO Security Program” on page 28.

In March 2018, the Compensation Committee granted equity awards in the form of stock options, RSUs, and PRSUs to the NEOs as shown below with vesting and other terms as described under “Equity Compensation” on page 27 above. In determining the amounts of these fiscal 2019 equity awards, the Compensation Committee took into account the outstanding performance of the Company and the NEOs during fiscal 2018.

The Compensation Committee also took into account the one-time delay in the annual equity grant cycle described on page 28 and the fact that, as a result of this delay, the time that had elapsed since the most recent NEO equity grants was a period of 1.33 years versus the typical period of one year.

 

Named Executive Officer    Stock
Options
     RSUs      PRSUs  

 

Mr. Benioff

 

    

 

317,105

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

104,127

 

 

 

 

Mr. Hawkins

 

    

 

140,936

 

 

 

    

 

16,944

 

 

 

    

 

15,427

 

 

 

 

Mr. Block

 

    

 

229,021

 

 

 

    

 

27,534

 

 

 

    

 

25,068

 

 

 

 

Mr. Harris

 

    

 

176,170

 

 

 

    

 

21,180

 

 

 

    

 

19,283

 

 

 

 

Mr. Dayon

 

    

 

88,085

 

 

 

    

 

10,590

 

 

 

    

 

9,642

 

 

 

In addition, for fiscal 2019, the Compensation Committee expanded the use of PRSUs in our annual equity award program more broadly to all Executive Vice Presidents and above. The Compensation Committee reduced the portion of the equity awards that would previously have been granted in the form of RSUs, such that by value, the EVP equity award percentage mix of stock options, RSUs and PRSUs was consistent with the mix for our NEOs other than the CEO. The fiscal 2019 PRSUs for our EVPs were granted on the same terms and conditions applicable to the NEOs. The Compensation Committee’s extension of the use of PRSUs is intended to more broadly tie our executives’ incentives to overall Company performance and the promotion of long-term stockholder value.

 

 

Other Compensation Policies

 

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We maintain a stock ownership policy for our non-employee directors, as described earlier in “Directors and Corporate Governance—Compensation of Directors” and as set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines also include stock ownership guidelines for our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Guidelines provide

that our CEO must attain ownership of, by no later than March 14, 2018 or the fifth anniversary of his or her appointment as CEO, and maintain ownership throughout his or her tenure of a number of shares of our common stock equal to the lesser of 112,000 shares or the number of shares equivalent in value to four times his or her annual salary. With ownership of over 33 million shares, Mr. Benioff significantly exceeds his ownership requirement under these guidelines.

 

 

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  COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)  

 

 

The Guidelines also provide that each other executive officer must attain ownership, by no later than the later of March 14, 2018 or the fifth anniversary from the date he or she becomes an executive officer, and maintain ownership throughout his or her tenure of a number of shares equivalent in value to 1.5 times his or her annual salary. Each of the NEOs, including our CEO, is in compliance with the stock ownership policy.

Performance-Based Compensation Recoupment “Clawback” Policy

The Guidelines include a clawback provision, which provides that if we restate our reported financial results, the Board will review the performance-based awards made to our executive officers. If and to the extent required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, other clawback provisions of applicable law, or NYSE Listing Standards, we will seek to recover or cancel any such awards that were granted, vested or earned as a result of achieving performance targets that would not have been met under the restated financial results. We will also continue to monitor rule-making actions of the SEC and the NYSE related to clawback policies. In addition, if we are required as a result of misconduct to restate our financial results due to our

material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements under the federal securities laws, our CEO and CFO may be legally required to reimburse us for any bonus or other incentive- based or equity-based compensation they receive pursuant to the provisions of Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Prohibition on Hedging and Pledging Transactions

Our insider trading policy prohibits any employee or director from, among other things, engaging in short sales, hedging of stock ownership positions and transactions involving derivative securities relating to our common stock. Executive officers and directors are also not permitted to pledge our securities.

Equity Award Grant Practices

The majority of our equity awards are granted on an annual basis in March (starting in fiscal 2019), as described in more detail above on page 28.    New hire and ad hoc awards are generally granted monthly throughout the fiscal year, typically on the 22nd day of the month.

 

 

Post-Employment Compensation

 

We recognize that it is possible that we may be involved in a transaction involving a change of control of the Company, and that this possibility could result in the departure or distraction of our executives to the detriment of our business. The Compensation Committee and the Board believe that the prospect of such a change of control transaction would likely result in our executives facing uncertainties about their future employment and distractions resulting from concern over how the potential transaction might affect them.

To allow our executives to focus solely on making decisions that are in the best interests of our stockholders in the event of a possible, threatened, or pending change of control transaction, and to encourage them to remain with us despite the possibility that a change of control might affect them adversely, we have entered into Change of Control and Retention Agreements with each of the NEOs that provide them with certain payments and benefits in the event of the termination of their employment within the three-month period prior to, or the 18 month period following, a change of control of the Company (referred to as the “change of control period”). Severance payments and benefits under these agreements are conditioned on the executive’s signing a release of claims in favor of the Company. The Compensation Committee and the Board believe that these “double-trigger” agreements serve as an important retention tool to ensure that personal uncertainties do not dilute our executives’ complete focus on building stockholder value.

These agreements provide each of the NEOs (other than, as described below, our CEO) who has a qualifying termination of employment during the change of control period with a payment equal to 150% of his annual base salary and target cash bonus, Company-paid premiums for health care (medical, dental and vision) continuation coverage for a period of up to 18 months

following termination of employment, and the full and immediate vesting of all outstanding and unvested equity awards. See “Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units” on page 27 for specific information regarding how such a qualifying termination of employment would impact the non-CEO NEOs’ PRSUs.

If our CEO has a qualifying termination of employment during the change of control period, his Change of Control and Retention Agreement provides him with a lump-sum payment equal to 200% of his annual base salary and target cash bonus, Company-paid premiums for health care (medical, dental and vision) continuation coverage for a period of up to 24 months following termination of employment, and the full and immediate vesting of all outstanding and unvested equity awards. See “Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units” on page 27 for specific information regarding how such a qualifying termination would impact Mr. Benioff’s PRSUs.

In establishing the terms and conditions of these agreements, the Compensation Committee and the independent members of the Board considered competitive market data and governance best practices information provided by the compensation consultant. The Compensation Committee and the independent members of the Board also evaluated the cost to us of these arrangements and the potential payout levels to each affected executive under various scenarios. In approving these agreements, they determined that their cost to us and our stockholders was reasonable and not excessive, given the benefit conferred to us.

The Compensation Committee and the Board believe that these agreements will help to maintain the continued focus and dedication of our executives to their assigned duties without the distraction that could result from the possibility of a change of control of the Company.

 

 

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  COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

In addition, in connection with the negotiation of Mr. Block’s employment terms when he joined us in 2013, and Mr. Hawkins’ employment terms when he joined us in 2014, each of these NEOs received an offer letter that provided for eligibility for ongoing severance payments and benefits in connection with involuntary terminations of employment not in connection with a change of control. Under Mr. Block’s offer letter, if his employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to payments equal to one year of his base salary and 100% of his annual target cash bonus, as well as any bonus earned as of his termination but not yet paid, and unpaid reimbursement of expenses. Receipt of these severance payments and benefits is conditioned on Mr. Block’s signing a release of claims in favor of the Company. In addition, Mr. Block’s

offer letter provides him (or his estate) with certain severance payments and benefits in the event his termination of employment is due to death or disability. Under Mr. Hawkins’ offer letter, if his employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to payments equal to one year of his base salary and 100% of his annual target cash bonus, and unpaid reimbursement of expenses. Receipt of these severance payments and benefits is conditioned on Mr. Hawkins’ signing a release of claims in favor of the Company.

For a summary of the material terms and conditions of agreements in effect during fiscal 2018, see “Employment Contracts and Certain Transactions—Change of Control,” elsewhere in this Proxy Statement.

 

 

Tax and Accounting Considerations

 

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code imposes limitations on the deductibility for corporate federal income tax purposes of remuneration in excess of $1 million paid to the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and each of the three next most highly compensated executive officers of a public company. Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law on December 22, 2017, compensation that satisfied conditions set forth under Section 162(m) to qualify as “performance-based compensation” was not subject to the limitation, and the limitation did not apply to compensation paid to the Chief Financial Officer. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the performance-based compensation exception beginning January 1, 2018, but provided a transition rule with respect to remuneration provided pursuant to a written binding contract that was in effect on November 2, 2017 and not materially modified after that date.

We monitor the application of Section 162(m) and the associated Treasury regulations on an ongoing basis and the advisability of qualifying executive compensation for deductibility. Notwithstanding the repeal of the exemption for “performance-based compensation,” the Compensation Committee intends to maintain its commitment to structuring the Company’s executive compensation programs in a manner designed to align pay with performance.

Taxation of “Parachute” Payments and Deferred Compensation

Sections 280G and 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code provide that executive officers, directors who hold significant equity interests, and certain other service providers may be subject to significant additional taxes if they receive payments or benefits in connection with a change of control of the Company that exceed certain prescribed limits, and that we (or our successor) may forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to this additional tax. We did not provide any executive, including any NEO, with a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax liability that the executive might owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 during fiscal 2018 and we have not agreed and

are not otherwise obligated to provide any NEO with such a “gross-up” or other reimbursement.

Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code imposes significant additional taxes in the event that an executive officer, director or service provider receives “deferred compensation” that does not satisfy the restrictive conditions of the provision. Although we do not maintain a traditional nonqualified deferred compensation plan, Section 409A applies to certain equity awards and severance arrangements. We generally have structured our equity awards in a manner intended to comply with the applicable Section 409A conditions. In addition, the Change of Control and Retention Agreements that we have entered into with the NEOs generally have been drafted or modified in a manner intended to comply with Section 409A.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

We follow the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC Topic 718”) in connection with the financial reporting of our stock options and other stock-based awards. ASC Topic 718 requires companies to calculate the grant date “fair value” of their stock option grants using a variety of assumptions, as well as the grant date “fair value” of their other stock-based awards. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the compensation tables below, even though our executives may never realize any value from their options or other stock-based awards. ASC Topic 718 also requires companies to recognize the compensation cost of their stock option grants and other stock-based awards in their income statements over the period in which an executive is required to render service in exchange for vesting of the option or other award. When determining the types and amounts of equity compensation granted to the NEOs, the Compensation Committee considers the advantages and disadvantages of various equity vehicles, such as stock options, RSUs and PRSUs. As part of this consideration, the Compensation Committee takes into account the overall program cost, which includes the associated compensation expense for financial reporting purposes.

 

 

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  COMPENSATION RISK ASSESSMENT  

 

 

COMPENSATION RISK ASSESSMENT

 

As part of its review of the compensation to be paid to our executives, as well as the compensation programs generally available to our employees, the Compensation Committee considers potential risks arising from our compensation programs and the management of these risks, in light of our overall business, strategy and objectives.

As is the case with our employees generally, our NEOs’ base salaries are fixed in amount and thus do not encourage risk-taking. Bonus amounts under our bonus plan are tied to overall corporate and individual performance, and the bonus pool for executive officers is based on our performance during the fiscal year compared to pre-established target levels for three equally-weighted measures: revenue, operating cash flow and non-GAAP income from operations. These three financial measures counterbalance each other, decreasing the likelihood that our NEOs will pursue any one measure to the detriment of overall

financial performance. Combined, these measures limit the ability of an executive to be rewarded for taking excessive risk on our behalf by, for example, seeking revenue enhancing opportunities at the expense of profitability. Moreover, a significant portion of compensation provided to our NEOs is in the form of long-term equity awards, including PRSUs, that help further align their interests with those of our stockholders. The Compensation Committee believes that these awards do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking because the ultimate value of the awards is tied to our stock price and because the awards are staggered and subject to long-term vesting schedules. Our executive stock ownership guidelines also help ensure that executives have significant value tied to long-term stock price performance. Additional controls such as our clawback policy, our Code of Conduct and related training, and periodic sub-certification requirements for our executives, help mitigate the risks of unethical behavior and inappropriate risk-taking.

 

 

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  CEO PAY RATIO  

 

       

 

CEO PAY RATIO

 

The fiscal 2018 total compensation of the median employee, based on compensation of all employees who were employed as of November 1, 2017, other than our CEO Marc Benioff, was $155,284. Mr. Benioff’s fiscal 2018 annual total compensation was $4,653,362. The ratio of these amounts (our “Pay Ratio”) in fiscal 2018 was 1-to-30.

The fiscal 2018 Pay Ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with SEC rules based on our payroll and employment records and the methodology described herein. First,

we collected employee compensation data using salary, cash bonuses, equity compensation and commissions as our “consistently applied compensation measures” for purposes of the Pay Ratio. Second, we identified our employee population as of November 1, 2017 based on our payroll records. Finally, we identified the median compensated employee (“Median Employee”) and calculated his or her total compensation consistent with the compensation for our CEO in accordance with SEC rules and as reflected in the Summary Compensation Table on page 35, the details of which are set forth in the table below:

 

 

  Employee    Fiscal
Year
     Salary
($)
     Bonus
($)
     Stock
Awards
($)
     Option
Awards
($)
     Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compens-
ation
($)
    

All Other
Compens-

ation
($)

     Total
($)
 

 CEO

     2018        1,550,000        0        0        0        3,100,000        3,362        4,653,362  

 Median Employee

     2018        131,758        6,503        0        0        17,023        0        155,284  

 

The SEC’s rules for identifying the Median Employee and calculating the Pay Ratio based on that employee’s annual total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their employee populations and compensation practices. As a result, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the Pay Ratio reported above, as other companies have different employee populations and compensation practices and may utilize different methodologies, exclusions, estimates and assumptions in calculating their own pay ratios. In calculating our Pay Ratio, we did not annualize the compensation of any employees nor did we make use of any of the exclusions allowed under SEC rules.

Important Note on Fiscal 2018 Pay Ratio.    As more fully discussed on page 28, our fiscal 2018 total compensation for all

NEOs, including our CEO, was significantly impacted by (that is, was atypically low due to) the change in timing of our annual equity award cycle. This timing change resulted in no annual equity awards being granted in fiscal 2018. Neither our Median Employee nor our CEO received equity awards in fiscal 2018 for this reason.

As a result, given the atypically low compensation amounts for our NEOs in fiscal 2018, we note, as supplemental disclosure, that if the compensation amounts used to determine our fiscal 2018 Pay Ratio included the grant date fair value of the fiscal 2019 equity awards granted to our CEO and to our Median Employee, our fiscal 2018 Pay Ratio would have been 1-to-130. Fiscal 2019 equity awards will be taken into account in determining the fiscal 2019 pay ratio (which will be reported in the 2019 Proxy Statement).

 

 

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  SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE  

 

 

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

The following table sets forth, for fiscal 2018 and the two prior years, the compensation reportable for our NEOs, as determined under SEC rules.

 

Name and Principal
Position
  Fiscal
Year
    Salary     Bonus     Stock
Awards(1)
     Option
Awards(2)
    Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compens-
ation
   

All Other
Compens-

ation

     Total  

 

Marc Benioff

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

1,550,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

—  

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

3,100,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

3,362

 

 

(3) 

 

  

 

$

 

 

4,653,362

 

 

 

 

Chairman of the Board and

Chief Executive Officer

 

   

 

2017

 

 

 

  $

 

1,550,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

4,373,238

 

 

 

   $

 

2,848,014

 

 

 

  $

 

3,100,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,298,795

 

 

 

   $

 

13,170,047

 

 

 

   

 

2016

 

 

 

  $

 

1,550,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

17,455,952

 

 

 

   $

 

9,807,069

 

 

 

  $

 

3,100,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,449,882

 

 

 

   $

 

33,362,903

 

 

 

Mark Hawkins

 

   

 

2018

 

 

 

  $

 

750,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

750,000

 

 

 

  $

 

10,909

 

(4) 

 

   $

 

1,510,909

 

 

 

President and Chief

 

   

 

2017

 

 

 

  $

 

750,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

3,035,661

 

 

 

   $

 

3,000,014

 

 

 

  $

 

750,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,151

 

 

 

   $

 

7,536,826

 

 

 

Financial Officer

 

   

 

2016

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

  $

 

250,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,200,029

 

 

 

   $

 

4,800,004

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

  $

 

29,362

 

 

 

   $

 

7,679,395

 

 

 

Keith Block

 

   

 

2018

 

 

 

  $

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

  $

 

49,889

 

(5) 

 

   $

 

2,349,889

 

 

 

Vice Chairman, President

 

   

 

2017

 

 

 

  $

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

5,059,230

 

 

 

   $

 

5,000,017

 

 

 

  $

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

  $

 

91,438

 

 

 

   $

 

12,450,685

 

 

 

and Chief Operating Officer

 

   

 

2016

 

 

 

  $

 

1,077,000

 

 

 

  $

 

40,564

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   $

 

10,000,003

 

 

 

  $

 

1,077,000

 

 

 

  $

 

58,663

 

 

 

   $

 

12,253,230

 

 

 

Parker Harris

 

   

 

2018

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

604

 

(6) 

 

   $

 

1,800,604

 

 

 

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

 

   

 

2017

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

271,438

 

 

 

  $

 

4,047,445

 

 

 

   $

 

4,000,006

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

256,138

 

 

 

   $

 

10,375,027

 

 

 

   

 

2016

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

1,200,029

 

 

 

   $

 

4,800,004

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   $

 

7,400,033

 

 

 

Alexandre Dayon

 

   

 

2018

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   $

 

1,800,000

 

 

 

President and Chief
Strategy Officer

 

   

 

2017

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

4,047,445

 

 

 

   $

 

4,000,006

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

17,346

 

 

 

   $

 

9,864,797

 

 

 

   

 

2016

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

  $

 

250,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,600,038

 

 

 

   $

 

6,400,005

 

 

 

  $

 

700,000

 

 

 

  $

 

54,791

 

 

 

   $

 

9,704,834

 

 

 

 

(1) Amounts reported under the Stock Awards column do not reflect compensation actually received by the NEO. Instead, the amounts reported reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of RSUs and PRSUs granted to the executives, which for RSUs is calculated by multiplying the number of shares subject to the award by the closing price of one share of our common stock on the date of grant and for PRSUs is calculated in the manner described in footnote (2) below, using a Monte Carlo valuation method.
(2) Amounts reported under the Option Awards column do not reflect compensation actually received by the NEO. Instead, the amounts reported are the grant date fair value of stock options granted to the executives as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718, excluding estimated forfeitures. The assumptions used to calculate the value of option awards are set forth under Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2018 filed with the SEC on March 9, 2018.
(3) This amount consists of a tax gross-up provided with respect to the Company-paid costs of attending a Company leadership event, which was provided on the same terms to all other employees who attended the event.
(4) This amount includes $5,613 for Company-paid costs of attending motivational Company sales team and leadership events and $5,296 for tax gross-ups provided with respect to such costs, consistent with how we treated these benefits for all other employees who attended such events.
(5) This amount includes $15,990 for Company-paid costs of attending motivational Company sales team and leadership events and $15,088 for tax gross-ups provided with respect to such costs, consistent with how we treated these benefits for all other employees who attended such events. On occasion, family members of Mr. Block also may accompany him, at no incremental cost to the Company, on corporate aircraft used for business purposes.
(6) This amount consists of a tax gross-up provided with respect to the Company-paid costs of attending a Company leadership event, which was provided on the same terms to all other employees who attended the event.

 

2018 Proxy Statement

 

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Table of Contents

  GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS TABLE  

 

       

 

GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS TABLE

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to all plan-based awards granted to the NEOs during fiscal 2018. As discussed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, we did not grant any equity awards to our NEOs during fiscal 2018 due to the Compensation Committee’s decision to move the annual award cycle from November to March.

 

         

 

Estimated Future Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards

 

   

Estimated Future Payouts
Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards

 

   

 

All
Other Stock
Awards:
Number
of Shares
of Stock
or Units
(#)

 

   

All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)

 

   

Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards

 

   

Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Stock
and Option
Awards

 

 

  Name

 

 

Grant
Date

 

   

Threshold

 

   

Target
(1)

 

   

Maximum
(1)

 

   

Threshold
(#)

 

   

Target
(#)

 

   

Maximum
(#)

 

         

 

  Marc Benioff

 

   

 

N/A

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

3,100,000

 

 

 

  $

 

3,875,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

 

  Mark Hawkins

 

   

 

N/A

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

750,000

 

 

 

  $

 

937,500

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

 

  Keith Block

 

   

 

N/A

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,437,500

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

 

  Parker Harris

 

   

 

N/A

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,125,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

 

  Alexandre Dayon

 

   

 

N/A

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

  $

 

900,000

 

 

 

  $

 

1,125,000

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

 

(1) The Company’s non-equity incentive plan awards, and how they were determined, are based upon a formula that may include some discretion as to amounts paid, as discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Compensation Elements—Cash Bonuses.” Maximum amounts shown reflect a 125% individual multiplier limit on payouts to executive officers.

 

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Table of Contents
       

  OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED TABLE  

 

 

OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED TABLE

The following table sets forth certain information concerning option exercises and the vesting of stock awards and the value realized upon exercise or vesting by the NEOs during fiscal 2018.

 

                          OPTION AWARDS                                               STOCK AWARDS                      
 Name    Number of
Shares Acquired
on Exercise (#)
     Value Realized
on Exercise (1)
     Number of
Shares Acquired
on Vesting (#)
     Value Realized
on Vesting (2)
 

 

 Marc Benioff

 

    

 

1,300,000

 

 

 

    

 

$111,615,352

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

    

 

—  

 

 

 

 

 Mark Hawkins

 

    

 

277,453

 

 

 

    

 

$  26,881,238

 

 

 

    

 

16,169

 

 

 

    

 

$1,574,722

 

 

 

 

 Keith Block

 

    

 

660,000

 

 

 

    

 

$  59,407,692

 

 

 

    

 

8,270

 

 

 

    

 

$   883,484

 

 

 

 

 Parker Harris

 

    

 

240,800

 

 

 

    

 

$  22,444,862

 

 

 

    

 

20,709

 

 

 

    

 

$2,021,835

 

 

 

 

 Alexandre Dayon

 

    

 

316,382

 

 

 

    

 

$  33,170,708

 

 

 

    

 

28,454

 

 

 

    

 

$2,744,785

 

 

 

 

(1) The value realized on exercise is pre-tax and represents the difference between the market price of the shares of our common stock underlying the options when exercised and the applicable exercise price.
(2) The value realized on vesting is pre-tax and is determined by multiplying the number of vested restricted stock units by the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the vesting date.

 

2018 Proxy Statement

 

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Table of Contents

  OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL 2018 YEAR-END TABLE   

 

       

 

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL 2018 YEAR-END TABLE

The following table sets forth information with respect to the value of all outstanding equity awards held by our NEOs as of January 31, 2018.

 

    OPTION AWARDS     STOCK AWARDS  
  Name and Grant Date   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
(1)
    Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
(1)
    Option
Exercise
Price
    Option
Expiration
Date
    Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#) (2)
   

Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of Stock

That Have

Not Vested
(4)

    Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights
That
Have Not
Vested
(#) (3)
   

Equity
Incentive Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or Other
Rights

That Have

Not Vested
(4)

 

  Marc Benioff

               

11/26/2013

    1,849,441       —         $52.30       11/26/2020       —         —         —         —    

11/25/2014

    1,556,700       409,658       $59.34       11/25/2021       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    260,604       220,512       $80.99       11/22/2022       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    44,059       106,998       $75.57       11/22/2023       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    —         —         —         —         —         —         191,382     $ 21,800,324  

11/22/2016

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

113,062

 

 

 

  $

 

12,878,892

 

 

 

  Mark Hawkins

               

8/26/2014

    —         60,372       $59.64       08/26/2021       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    —         107,928       $80.99       11/22/2022       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         112,710       $75.57       11/22/2023       —         —         —         —    

8/26/2014

    —         —         —         —         5,628       $   641,085       —         —    

11/22/2015

    —         —         —         —         7,409       $   843,959       —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         —         —         —         14,888       $1,695,892       —         —    

11/22/2016

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

39,700

 

 

 

  $

 

4,522,227

 

 

 

  Keith Block

               

11/25/2014

    345,121       124,139       $59.34       11/25/2021       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    265,731       224,850       $80.99       11/22/2022       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    77,349       187,849       $75.57       11/22/2023       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         —         —         —         24,812       $2,826,335       —         —    

11/22/2016

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

66,164

 

 

 

  $

 

7,536,741

 

 

 

  Parker Harris

               

11/26/2013

    217,014       —         $52.30       11/26/2020       —         —         —         —    

11/25/2014

    264,167       69,518       $59.34       11/25/2021       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    127,551       107,928       $80.99       11/22/2022       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    61,879       150,279       $75.57       11/22/2023       —         —         —         —    

11/25/2014

    —         —         —         —         6,049       $   689,042       —         —    

11/22/2015

    —         —         —         —         7,409       $   843,959       —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         —         —         —         19,850       $2,261,114       —         —    

11/22/2016

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

—  

 

 

 

   

 

52,932

 

 

 

  $

 

6,029,484

 

 

 

  Alexandre Dayon

               

11/25/2014

    83,419       69,518       $59.34       11/25/2021       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2015

    170,068       143,904       $80.99       11/22/2022       —         —         —         —    

11/22/2016

    61,879       150,279       $75.57       11/22/2023       —         —         —         —    

11/25/2014

    —         —         —         —         6,049       $   689,042       —         —    

11/22/2015

    —         —         —         —         9,878       $1,125,203       —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         —         —         —         19,850       $2,261,114       —         —    

11/22/2016

    —         —         —         —         —         —         52,932     $ 6,029,484  

 

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Table of Contents
       

  OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL 2018 YEAR-END  TABLE (CONTINUED)  

 

 

(1) Options shown in this table were granted under the 2013 Equity Plan and vest over four years, with 25% of the total shares granted vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the balance vesting in equal monthly installments over the remaining 36 months.
(2) Restricted stock unit awards shown in this table were granted under the 2013 Equity Plan and vest over four years, with 25% of the units vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the balance vesting in equal quarterly installments over the remaining 36 months.
(3) The PRSUs shown in this table will vest depending on the Company’s TSR over the Performance Period, relative to companies in the Index Group. If the Company’s TSR over the Performance Period is at the 60th percentile when ranked against the Index Group TSRs, 100% of the target number of shares will vest. For every percentile by which the Company’s TSR ranking within the Index Group exceeds the 60th percentile, shares vesting will increase by 2.5641%, up to a maximum payout of 200% of target if the Company’s TSR ranking is at the 99th percentile. For every percentile by which the Company’s TSR ranking within the Index Group is below the 60th percentile, shares vesting will decrease by 3.3333%, with no payout if the Company’s TSR ranking is below the 30th percentile. If the Company’s absolute TSR over the Performance Period is negative, the number of shares vesting will not exceed 100% of target. In accordance with SEC rules, based on the actual performance during the respective performance periods through the end of the last fiscal year, the PRSUs granted on November 22, 2015 are reported assuming achievement of target performance goals and the PRSUs granted on November 22, 2016 are reported assuming achievement of maximum performance goals.
(4) The market value of unvested RSUs and unearned PRSUs is based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on January 31, 2018 of $113.91 per share.

 

2018 Proxy Statement

 

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Table of Contents

  EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS  

 

       

 

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

Executive Officer Offer Letters, Agreements and Bonuses.    Each NEO is an “at-will” employee. Offer letters with our NEOs provide for one or more of the following: annual base salary, an annual bonus based on Company and individual performance, initial grants of stock options and other equity-based awards and participation in our Company-wide employee benefit plans. In addition, the offer letters we have entered into with Messrs. Block and Hawkins provide for severance payments and benefits as described below.

Keith Block.    Under Mr. Block’s offer letter with the Company, dated June 6, 2013, in the event we terminate Mr. Block’s employment without cause (as defined in his offer letter) or if he voluntarily terminates his employment for good reason (as defined in his offer letter), he will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits (less applicable tax withholdings), subject to his execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company:

 

  An amount equal to 100% of his annual base salary and target bonus to be payable in monthly installments for 12 months following the termination date, but ending early if he accepts employment with another party during the 12 months following his termination (for fiscal 2018, Mr. Block’s annual base salary and target bonus amount were each $1,150,000);

 

  Payment equal to any performance or special incentive bonus earned as of the termination date but not yet paid; and

 

  Any compensation and benefits to which he may be entitled under applicable plans, programs and agreements of the Company (but ending immediately if he accepts employment with another party during the 12 months following his termination), and reimbursement of any expenses incurred but not yet reimbursed.

In the event Mr. Block’s employment terminates due to his death or disability (as defined in his offer letter), he or his estate will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits (less applicable tax withholdings), in addition to any other compensation and benefits to which he (or his estate) may be entitled under applicable plans, programs and agreements of the Company:

 

  In the case of death, an amount equal to 100% of his annual base salary payable in monthly installments for 12 months following his death (for fiscal 2018, Mr. Block’s annual base salary was $1,150,000);

 

  In the case of disability, the disability benefit available under our normal procedures and policies for the Company’s most senior executives;

 

  Payment equal to his pro rata bonus(es) for the remainder of the year in which death or disability occurs (if Mr. Block’s termination due to death or disability had occurred on January 31, 2018, his bonus payment would have been $1,150,000, less applicable withholding taxes); and
  Payment equal to any base salary and any performance or special incentive bonus earned but not yet paid as of the termination due to death or disability, reimbursement of any expenses incurred but not yet reimbursed, and any compensation and benefits to which he (or his legal representatives) may be entitled under applicable plans, programs and agreements of the Company.

Mark Hawkins.    Under Mr. Hawkins’ offer letter with the Company, dated June 11, 2014, in the event we terminate Mr. Hawkins’ employment without cause (as defined in his offer letter) or if he voluntarily terminates his employment for good reason (as defined in his offer letter), he will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits (less applicable tax withholdings), subject to his execution of a release of claims in favor of the Company:

 

  An amount equal to 100% of his annual base salary and target bonus to be payable in monthly installments for 12 months following the termination date, but ending early if he accepts employment with another party during the 12 months following his termination (for fiscal 2018, Mr. Hawkins’ annual base salary and target bonus amount were each $750,000); and

 

  Any compensation and benefits to which he may be entitled under applicable plans, programs and agreements of the Company (but ending immediately if he accepts employment with another party during the 12 months following his termination), and reimbursement of any expenses incurred but not yet reimbursed.

Change of Control.    In December 2008, we entered into a Change of Control and Retention Agreement with Mr. Benioff. Pursuant to this agreement, in the event that the employment of Mr. Benioff is terminated without cause (as defined in the agreement) or he resigns for good reason (as defined in the agreement) within three months prior to, or 18 months after, a change of control (as defined in the agreement) of the Company, he will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits:

 

  A lump sum payment (less applicable tax withholdings) equal to 200% of his annual base salary and target bonus;

 

  Company-paid premiums for health care (medical, dental and vision) continuation coverage for him and his eligible dependents for a period of up to 24 months following termination; and

 

  Full vesting acceleration of the unvested portion of all equity incentive awards held by him at the time of termination.

We have also entered into Change of Control and Retention Agreements with the other NEOs. Pursuant to these agreements, in the event that the employment of any of these executives is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason within three months prior to, or 18 months after, a change of control of

 

 

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  EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS (CONTINUED)  

 

 

the Company, he will be entitled to receive the following payments and benefits:

 

  A lump sum payment (payable with respect to Mr. Hawkins, in equal monthly installments over 12 months) (less applicable tax withholdings) equal to 150% of the executive’s annual base salary and target bonus;

 

  Company-paid premiums for health care (medical, dental and vision) continuation coverage for the executive and his eligible dependents for a period of up to 18 months following termination; and

 

  Full vesting acceleration of the unvested portion of all equity awards held by the executive at the time of termination.

Each Change of Control and Retention Agreement contains a “best of” provision that termination payments and benefits will be either delivered in full or to such lesser extent as would result in no portion of such termination benefits being subject to the excise tax imposed by the “golden parachute” rules of Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, whichever of the foregoing amounts, after taking into account all applicable taxes, results in the greatest amount of termination benefits to the executive on an after-tax basis. Receipt of payments and benefits under each agreement is conditioned upon execution by the executive of a release of claims in favor of the Company, which release also requires continued compliance by the executive with confidentiality obligations.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units.    The PRSUs granted to our NEOs, including our CEO, provide that, if the applicable officer remains employed through a specified date (slightly longer than three years after each respective grant date), each respective award will vest in a percentage of the target number of shares subject to the award, between zero and 200%, depending on how our total stockholder return (“TSR”) ranks over the three-year period from the grant date (the “performance period”), relative to the companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index as of the grant date (the “Index Group”). If our TSR over the Performance Period is at the 60th percentile when ranked against the TSRs of the companies in the Index Group, 100% of the target number of shares will be eligible to vest. For every percentile by which our TSR ranking within the Index Group exceeds the 60th percentile, the number of shares eligible to vest

will increase by 2.5641% of target, up to a maximum payout of 200% of target if our TSR ranking is at the 99th percentile. For every percentile by which our TSR ranking within the Index Group is below the 60th percentile, the number of shares eligible to vest will decrease by 3.3333% of target, with no payout if our TSR ranking is below the 30th percentile. Additionally, if our absolute TSR over the performance period is negative, in no event will the number of shares eligible to vest exceed 100% of the target amount, even if our TSR ranks above the 60th percentile within the Index Group.

Special vesting rules apply to the PRSUs in the event of a change of control of the Company. The awards provide that if a change of control of the Company occurs during the NEO’s employment and before the end of the performance period, shares will become eligible to vest based on how our TSR performance ranks relative to the Index Group from the grant date through the date of the change of control (instead of through the three-year performance period), using the same zero to 200% scale described above. A portion of the award will be considered satisfied as of the date of a change of control, and a pro-rated portion of the eligible shares (if any) will vest to reflect service through that date, with the remaining eligible shares vesting in equal calendar quarterly installments thereafter over the balance of the original performance period, subject to the NEO’s continued employment through each vesting date. Any shares eligible to vest based on the TSR performance are also subject to accelerated vesting if each applicable officer’s employment terminates within three months before, or 18 months after, a change of control in a qualifying termination of employment, determined in accordance with the terms of his existing change of control and retention agreement.

If a change of control of the Company occurs within the three-month period after a NEO ceases to be an employee, and such officer qualified for severance payments and benefits under his Change of Control and Retention Agreement, the rules described in the preceding paragraph apply as if such officer had remained an employee through the date of the change of control. Therefore, assuming the NEO qualifies for severance payments and benefits under his Change of Control and Retention Agreement, he will be entitled to full vesting of any and all shares eligible to vest based on the TSR performance (determined as described above) as of the date the performance is certified.

 

 

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Table of Contents

  EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Payments Upon Qualifying Termination of Employment. Assuming the employment of the NEOs had been terminated on January 31, 2018 pursuant to a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change of control of the Company, they would have been entitled to payments and benefits in the amounts set forth below. For this hypothetical calculation, we have used each NEO’s compensation level as of

January 31, 2018 (and, where applicable, the Company’s closing stock price on this date). Since several factors (e.g., the time of year when the event occurs and the Company’s stock price) could affect the nature and amount of benefits a NEO could potentially receive, any amounts paid or distributed upon a future termination may be different from those shown in the table below:

 

 

 

Name

 

  

Salary and

Bonus (1)

 

    

Value of

Continuation

of Benefits

 

    

Value of

Accelerated Stock

Options,

RSUs and
PRSUs (2)

 

    

Total (3)

 

 
 

Marc Benioff

 

    

 

$9,300,000

 

 

 

    

 

$49,959

 

 

 

    

 

$61,956,365(4)

 

 

 

    

 

$71,306,324

 

 

 

 

Mark Hawkins

 

    

 

$2,250,000

 

 

 

    

 

$27,925

 

 

 

    

 

$16,592,730(5)

 

 

 

    

 

$18,870,655

 

 

 

 

Keith Block

 

    

 

$3,450,000

 

 

 

    

 

$12,703

 

 

 

    

 

$27,973,163(6)

 

 

 

    

 

$31,435,866

 

 

 

 

Parker Harris

 

    

 

$2,700,000

 

 

 

    

 

$38,055

 

 

 

    

 

$19,917,140(7)

 

 

 

    

 

$22,655,195

 

 

 

 

Alexandre Dayon

 

    

 

$2,700,000

 

 

 

    

 

$38,055

 

 

 

    

 

$21,382,714(8)

 

 

 

    

 

$24,120,769

 

 

 

 

(1) Based on salary and bonus targets as of January 31, 2018.
(2) Represents acceleration of unvested options and acceleration of PRSUs at 100% of target as if the Company’s TSR through the change of control ranked at the 60th percentile against the NASDAQ 100 Index Group (with amounts shown in the footnotes below assuming acceleration of PRSUs at the maximum amount as if the Company’s TSR through the change of control was positive and ranked at the 99th percentile relative to TSR against the NASDAQ 100 Index Group). Based on a common stock price of $113.91, the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on January 31, 2018, less the applicable exercise price for each option for which vesting would have been accelerated.
(3) The amounts presented reflect the maximum severance benefits that could have been paid out without giving effect to any potential reduction as a result of the “best of” provision of the Change of Control and Retention Agreements described above.
(4) If the maximum PRSU amount possible were accelerated in connection with a change of control and qualifying termination, the resulting total value of accelerated equity awards would be $90,196,135.
(5) If the maximum PRSU amount possible were accelerated in connection with a change of control and qualifying termination, the resulting total value of accelerated equity awards would be $18,853,843.
(6) If the maximum PRSU amount possible were accelerated in connection with a change of control and qualifying termination, the resulting total value of accelerated equity awards would be $31,741,534.
(7) If the maximum PRSU amount possible were accelerated in connection with a change of control and qualifying termination, the resulting total value of accelerated equity awards would be $22,931,882.
(8) If the maximum PRSU amount possible were accelerated in connection with a change of control and qualifying termination, the resulting total value of accelerated equity awards would be $24,397,456.

 

Indemnification Agreements.    The Company has entered into an indemnification agreement with each of our directors and executive officers. The indemnification agreements and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws require us to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

Policies and Procedures with Respect to Related Party Transactions.    Our Board is committed to the highest legal and ethical standards of conduct in fulfilling its responsibilities and recognizes that related party transactions can present a heightened risk of potential or actual conflicts of interest. Our Audit Committee Charter requires that the Audit Committee review and approve any related party transactions, after reviewing each such transaction for potential conflicts of interests and other improprieties.

The Company has in place Related Party Transaction Policies and Procedures, under which the Audit Committee reviews and approves or ratifies any related party transactions. In approving or rejecting the proposed transaction, our Audit Committee will consider the relevant facts and circumstances, including the costs and benefits to the Company, the nature of the related party’s

interest in the transaction, the availability and terms of other sources for comparable services or products, and, if applicable, the impact on a director’s independence.

Related Party and Other Transactions.    Except for the compensation of directors and executive officers described earlier and as set forth below, there were no transactions during fiscal 2018 in which the Company was a party, the amount involved in the transaction exceeds $120,000 and in which any director, director nominee, executive officer, holder of more than 5% of our capital stock, or immediate family member of any of the foregoing individuals had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Andrea Conway, a non-executive employee of Salesforce, is the daughter of Craig Conway, a director. With respect to fiscal 2018, Ms. Conway earned $157,726 in base salary and $36,998 in annual cash incentive and other performance-based bonuses. Ms. Conway is a Senior Product Designer and her total compensation is consistent with the total compensation provided to other employees of the same level with similar responsibilities. Our Audit Committee reviewed and approved the employment of Ms. Conway pursuant to our Related Party Transaction Policies and Procedures. The terms of Ms. Conway’s employment and

 

 

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  EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS (CONTINUED)  

 

 

compensation do not violate these policies or procedures nor do we believe they present a conflict of interest, particularly in light of the number of personnel employed by the Company overall (more than 29,000 employees as of January 31, 2018), and the fact that neither the Board nor executive management directly oversee Ms. Conway or other personnel at her level, and the fact that her compensation is consistent with that of other employees at the same level with similar responsibilities.

In January 1999, the Salesforce.com Foundation, also referred to as the Foundation, was chartered on an idea of leveraging the Company’s people, technology and resources to help improve communities around the world. The Company calls this integrated philanthropic approach the 1-1-1 model. Beginning in 2008, Salesforce.org, which is a non-profit public benefit corporation, was established to resell the Company’s services to non-profit organizations and certain higher education organizations.

The Company’s Chairman is the chairman of both the Foundation and Salesforce.org. The Company’s Chairman holds one of the three Foundation board seats. The Company’s Chairman, one of the Company’s employees and one of the Company’s board members hold three of nine Salesforce.org

board seats. The Company does not control the Foundation’s or Salesforce.org’s activities, and accordingly, the Company does not consolidate either of the related entities’ statement of activities with its financial results.

Since the Foundation’s and Salesforce.org’s inception, the Company has provided at no charge certain resources to those entities’ employees, such as office space, furniture, equipment, facilities, services and other resources. The value of these items was approximately $11.2 million for fiscal 2018.

Additionally, the Company has donated subscriptions of the Company’s services to other qualified non-profit organizations. The Company also allows Salesforce.org to resell the Company’s service to non-profit organizations and certain higher education entities. The Company does not charge Salesforce.org for these subscriptions and a portion of the revenue from subscriptions provided to non-profit organizations is donated back to the community through charitable grants made by the Foundation and Salesforce.org. The value of the subscriptions pursuant to reseller agreements, as amended, was approximately $182.6 million for fiscal 2018.

 

 

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  COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION  

 

       

 

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

 

During fiscal 2018, none of our executive officers served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of

any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board or Compensation Committee.

 

 

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

REPORTING COMPLIANCE

 

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) requires the Company’s officers and directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of the Company’s common stock (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) to file reports of beneficial ownership and changes in beneficial ownership with the SEC. Reporting Persons are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on our review of such reports received or written representations from certain

Reporting Persons relating to fiscal 2018, the Company believes that the reports that were not filed on a timely basis, under Section 16(a), are: (i) one Form 4 filed on behalf of Cynthia Robbins on May 31, 2017 with respect to the vesting of RSUs and sale of shares to cover the associated tax obligation, and (ii) one Form 4 filed on behalf of Amy Weaver on May 31, 2017 with respect to the vesting of RSUs and sale of shares to cover the associated tax obligation, in each case as a result of unintentional administrative error.

 

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

The following reports by our Compensation Committee and Audit Committee shall not be deemed to be (i) “soliciting material,” (ii) “filed” with the SEC, (iii) subject to Regulations 14A or 14C of the Exchange Act, or (iv) subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. The reports shall not be deemed incorporated

by reference into any of our other filings under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates the report by reference into such filing.

 

 

Report of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors

 

We, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Salesforce, have reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis contained in this Proxy Statement with management. Based on such review and discussion, we have recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and in Salesforce’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2018.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

John V. Roos (Chair)

Craig Conway

Maynard Webb

 

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  COMMITTEE REPORTS  

 

 

Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

 

Role of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter and its functions are discussed above in “Corporate Governance and Board Committees—Audit and Finance Committee.”

The Audit Committee, which is comprised entirely of non-management directors, oversees the Company’s financial reporting process on behalf of the Board. Management is responsible for the Company’s internal controls, financial reporting process and compliance with laws and regulations and ethical business standards. Ernst & Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”), the independent auditor, is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and an independent audit of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting, both in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). Part of the Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee this process.

The Audit Committee generally meets twice per quarter, once in connection with quarterly Board meetings and once to review quarterly and year-end financial results. The Audit Committee also meets as needed to address developing accounting, compliance, or other matters. Specifically, in discharging its duties in fiscal 2018, the Audit Committee:

 

  reviewed and discussed with management and Ernst & Young our quarterly earnings press releases, related periodic reports filed with the SEC, and our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2018, as well as the overall quality of our financial reporting process;

 

  reviewed and discussed with Ernst & Young the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 1301, Communications with Audit Committees, as adopted by the PCAOB, which involves communications to the Audit Committee regarding responsibilities of the auditor and overall strategy and timing of the audit;

 

  received and discussed the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent auditor’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence;

 

  inquired about significant business and financial reporting risks (including cyber security risks), reviewed the Company’s policies for risk assessment and risk management, and assessed the steps management is taking to control these risks;

 

  reviewed actual and potential related party transactions and the Company’s policy regarding related party transactions;

 

  received reports about the receipt and resolution of employee or other concerns raised regarding financial reporting and other compliance matters;

 

  reviewed and assessed the Company’s compliance and global ethics and integrity programs;
  met periodically with management, the internal auditor and Ernst & Young regarding the evaluation and effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;

 

  considered the fees paid to Ernst & Young for the provision of non-audit related services and concluded that these fees did not compromise Ernst & Young’s independence in performing the audit; and

 

  monitored the Company’s internal and disclosure control structure, including the scope and adequacy of the Company’s internal audit program.

Recommendation Regarding Audited Financial Statements for Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2018

Based on the Audit Committee’s review and discussions noted above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2018 for filing with the SEC.

Review of Independent Auditor

The Audit Committee conducts an annual evaluation of the independent auditor in connection with the committee’s determination of whether to continue to retain Ernst & Young or engage another firm as the Company’s independent auditor. In the course of these reviews, the committee has considered, among other things:

 

  data relating to audit quality and performance, including recent PCAOB reports on Ernst & Young;

 

  the value of Ernst & Young’s services in light of the fees charged to the Company;

 

  Ernst & Young’s tenure as our independent auditor and its familiarity with our global operations and businesses, accounting policies and practices and internal control over financial reporting;

 

  Ernst & Young’s capability and expertise in handling the breadth and complexity of our worldwide operations;

 

  The periodic rotation of the lead audit partner, as required by Section 203 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which most recently occurred effective as of fiscal 2017;

 

  Ernst & Young’s integrity and objectivity; and

 

  Ernst & Young’s independence.

Based on this evaluation, the Audit Committee has concluded that Ernst & Young is independent and believes it is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to retain Ernst & Young to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2019. Accordingly, the Audit Committee has reappointed Ernst & Young as the Company’s independent auditor for fiscal 2019.

 

 

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  COMMITTEE REPORTS (CONTINUED)  

 

       

 

Members of the Audit Committee rely without independent verification on the information provided to them and on the representations made by management and the independent auditor. Accordingly, Audit Committee oversight does not provide an independent basis to determine that management has operated according to appropriate accounting and financial reporting principles or maintained appropriate internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, the Audit Committee’s considerations and discussions referred to above do not assure that the audit of our financial statements has

been carried out in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB, that the consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or that Ernst & Young is in fact “independent.”

THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

Robin Washington (Chair)

Alan Hassenfeld

Sanford Robertson

Maynard Webb

 

 

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  PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS  

 

 

PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

As recommended by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board’s nominees for election to the Board by the stockholders are the following current members of the Board: Marc Benioff, Keith Block, Craig Conway, Alan Hassenfeld, Neelie Kroes, Colin Powell, Sanford Robertson, John V. Roos, Bernard Tyson, Robin Washington, Maynard Webb and Susan Wojcicki.

It is intended that the proxy in the form enclosed will be voted, unless otherwise indicated, for the election of the nominees as directors to the Board. If any of the nominees should for any reason be unable or unwilling to serve as of the Annual Meeting, the Board may designate a substitute nominee or reduce the size of the Board. If the Board designates a substitute nominee, the proxies will be voted for the election of such other person.

 

 

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

 

The Company’s Bylaws provide that each director nominee be elected to the Board if the votes cast for such nominee’s election exceed the votes cast against such nominee’s election. The Board, after taking into consideration the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, will determine

whether or not to accept the pre-tendered resignation of any nominee for director, in an uncontested election, who receives a greater number of votes against his or her election than votes for such election.

 

 

The Board of Directors Recommends a Vote FOR Each of the Nominees Listed Above.

 

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  PROPOSAL 2 — AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE COMPANY’S CERTIFICATE  OF INCORPORATION  

 

       

 

PROPOSAL 2 — AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE COMPANY’S CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

 

We are seeking stockholder approval to amend and restate the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to allow one or more stockholders who own at least 15% of the Company’s common stock and who satisfy certain procedures to require that the Company call a special meeting of the Stockholders (the “Proposed Certificate Amendment”). Stockholders do not presently have the ability to require that the Company call a special meeting of stockholders. If the Proposed Certificate Amendment is approved by the stockholders, the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will provide that the Company be required to call a special meeting of the stockholders upon the written request of one or more stockholders who:

 

  own shares representing 15% or more of the voting power of the outstanding common stock of the Company;

 

  continue to satisfy that level of stock ownership for such period as set forth in the Bylaws, as amended from time to time;

 

  provide specified information regarding the stockholder(s) requesting the special meeting as well as the proposed special meeting; and

 

  satisfy such additional terms, conditions and limitations as may be set forth in the Bylaws, as amended from time to time.

As discussed further below, under the Proposed Certificate Amendment, for purposes of determining whether stockholders requesting a special meeting satisfy the 15% ownership threshold, a person will be deemed to “own” only those shares of outstanding common stock as to which the person possesses both (i) full voting and investment rights pertaining to the shares and (ii) the full economic interest in (including the opportunity for profit and risk of loss on) such shares (commonly referred to as a “net long” definition), which terms may be further defined in the Bylaws from time to time.

 

 

Purpose and Effect of the Proposed Amendment

 

The Proposed Certificate Amendment is a result of the Board’s ongoing review of our corporate governance principles. In developing the Proposed Certificate Amendment, the Board (including all members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee) carefully considered the implications of amending our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to allow stockholders to request that the Company call a special meeting.

The Board recognizes that providing stockholders the ability to require that the Company call special meetings is viewed by some stockholders as an important corporate governance practice. However, special meetings of the stockholders can cause the Company to incur substantial expenses and can be potentially disruptive to its business operations and to long-term stockholder interests. Accordingly, the Board believes that special meetings of the stockholders should be extraordinary events that should not be held in close proximity to an annual meeting or when the matters to be addressed have been recently considered or are planned to be considered at another meeting. The Board would

continue to have the ability to call special meetings of the stockholders in other instances when, in the exercise of their fiduciary obligations, they determine appropriate.

In light of these considerations, the Board believes that it strikes an appropriate balance between enhancing stockholder rights and adequately protecting stockholder interests to provide that stockholders who satisfy a 15% “net long” ownership threshold and comply with certain additional procedures and limitations have the ability to request that the Company call a special meeting.

In determining to utilize a 15% ownership threshold, the Board considered, among other things, investor feedback, peer practices and the Company’s market capitalization. The Board determined to adopt a “net long” definition of ownership because it believes that only stockholders with full and continuing economic interest and voting rights in our common stock should be entitled to request that the Company call a special meeting.

 

 

Related Changes to the Bylaws

 

The Proposed Certificate Amendment authorizes the Bylaws (1) to specify the information required to be provided in connection with a stockholder’s request to call a special meeting, (2) to define ownership for purposes of the “net long” ownership standard under the Proposed Certificate Amendment, and (3) to set forth any additional procedures and conditions applicable to

stockholders’ ability to request that the Company call a special meeting. Accordingly, the Board has amended Article I of our Bylaws, contingent upon stockholder approval and implementation of the Proposed Certificate Amendment, to address these provisions.

 

 

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  PROPOSAL 2 — AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE COMPANY’S  CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION (CONTINUED)  

 

 

Information Provisions

The Bylaw amendment requires any special meeting request to set forth the same information regarding the business to be conducted at the meeting and regarding any director candidate to be nominated at the meeting that is required to be provided by a stockholder who proposes to introduce such business or to make director nominations at an annual meeting of stockholders. Any stockholder or beneficial owner who is seeking to call the special meeting or who solicits other stockholders to support calling the special meeting also must provide the same information as to its ownership of the Company’s stock and its interest in the matters proposed to be voted on at the special meeting that is required of a stockholder who proposes to introduce such business or to make director nominations at an annual meeting of stockholders. Each stockholder supporting the special meeting request must provide information as to the number of shares of the Company’s stock that it owns.

Ownership Provisions

The Bylaw amendment elaborates on the definition of “own” or “ownership” included in the Proposed Certificate Amendment by providing that borrowed or hedged shares do not count toward the 15% ownership threshold. However, holding shares through a nominee and the practice of share lending generally will not be deemed to interrupt ownership of shares that otherwise are deemed to be “owned” under this standard, provided certain

conditions specified in the Bylaws are met. Stockholders requesting a special meeting must hold the requisite number of shares through the date of the special meeting and provide updated ownership information at the record date and shortly before the date of the special meeting of stockholders.

Additional Provisions

The Bylaw amendment sets forth certain procedural requirements that the Board believes are appropriate to avoid duplicative or unnecessary special meetings. Under these provisions, a special meeting request is not valid if:

 

  the proposed meeting relates to an item of business that is not a matter on which stockholders are authorized to act under, or that involves a violation of, applicable law;

 

  the proposed meeting relates to an item of business that is the same or substantially similar to any item of business that was voted on at a meeting of stockholders occurring within 90 days preceding the earliest dated request for a special meeting; or

 

  an otherwise valid special meeting request is submitted within the 90 days preceding the anniversary of the prior year’s annual meeting.

Under the Bylaw amendment, if stockholders who request a special meeting revoke the request or cease to own 15% of the outstanding common stock of the Company, the Company is not required to hold the special meeting of the stockholders.

 

 

Additional Information

 

The general description of the Proposed Certificate Amendment set forth above is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the Proposed Certificate Amendment, which is attached as Appendix A to these proxy materials. In addition, the text of the Bylaw amendment, which can be amended from time to time, is attached as Appendix B to these proxy materials.

The Proposed Certificate Amendment is binding. If the Proposed Certificate Amendment is approved, the Company intends to file the Certificate of Amendment to Salesforce’s Certificate with the

Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, and the Proposed Certificate Amendment will become effective at the time of that filing. If the Proposed Certificate Amendment is not approved by the requisite vote, then the Proposed Certificate Amendment will not be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, the Bylaw amendment will not become effective and our stockholders will not have the ability to request that the Company call a special meeting of stockholders.

 

 

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required to approve the amendment and

restatement of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, are treated the same as votes against this proposal.

 

 

The Board of Directors Recommends a Vote FOR the Amendment and Restatement of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

 

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  PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT OF THE EQUITY INCENTIVE  PLAN

  TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE

 

 

       

 

PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE

 

We are seeking stockholder approval to amend and restate our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”) to, among other things, increase the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Shares”) reserved for issuance under the 2013 Plan by an additional 40 million Shares. Our continuing ability to offer equity incentive awards under the 2013 Plan is critical to our ability to attract, motivate and retain qualified personnel, particularly as we grow and in light of the highly competitive market for employee talent in which we operate. In addition, we have made certain other changes to the 2013 Plan in light of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and its impact on Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 162(m)”), as described in further detail below.

The Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to approve this proposal. The Board has approved the amendment and restatement of the 2013 Plan, including the increase of the available shares thereunder, subject to stockholder approval, and recommends

that stockholders vote in favor of this proposal at the Annual Meeting. Stockholder approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares that are present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the proposal at the Annual Meeting.

If stockholders approve this proposal, the amendment and restatement of the 2013 Plan will become effective as of the date of stockholder approval. If stockholders do not approve this proposal, the amendment and restatement of the 2013 Plan described in this proposal will not take effect and our 2013 Plan will continue to be administered in its current form. Our executive officers and directors have an interest in this proposal by virtue of their being eligible to receive equity awards under the 2013 Plan. The remainder of this discussion, when referring to the 2013 Plan, refers to the amended and restated 2013 Plan as if this proposal is approved by our stockholders, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise references the 2013 Plan prior to the amendment and restatement.

 

 

Increasing the Number of Shares Reserved for Issuance under the 2013 Plan

 

Background

The 2013 Plan was initially adopted by the Board in March 2013, and our stockholders approved it in June 2013. As described in more detail below, the initial share reserve under the 2013 Plan was 48 million Shares, plus an additional 21,920,540 Shares that were available for grant under our 2004 Equity Incentive Plan and 2004 Outside Directors Stock Plan (the “Prior Plans”) as of the date stockholders approved the 2013 Plan. In addition, any Shares subject to outstanding awards under the 2013 Plan or, after the date stockholders approved the 2013 Plan, under the Prior Plans, that expire or are otherwise forfeited to, or repurchased by, the Company also become available for future grant under the 2013 Plan, although the number of Shares that can become available under the 2013 Plan in this manner is limited to 54,332,000 Shares. Then, at the 2015 Annual Meeting, our stockholders, upon recommendation of the Board, approved the amendment of the 2013 Plan and share increase to reserve an additional 37 million Shares.

At the 2017 Annual Meeting, our stockholders, upon recommendation of the Board, approved the amendment of the 2013 Plan and share increase to reserve an additional 37 million Shares. As discussed in our 2017 proxy, when we sought stockholder approval of the amendment of the 2013 Plan, we believed that the Shares reserved for issuance under it following stockholder approval (along with Shares becoming available for future grant due to forfeitures and cancellations) would be sufficient to enable us to continue to grant equity awards under the 2013 Plan for approximately one to two years. This estimate was based on a forecast that took into account our anticipated rate of growth in hiring, an estimated range of our stock price over time, and our historical forfeiture rates, as well as the number of Shares we had available for grant under the 2014 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”). We also considered stockholder feedback in determining an appropriate number of Shares to seek to add to the 2013 Plan.

 

 

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  PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT OF THE EQUITY  INCENTIVE PLAN 

 TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE  (CONTINUED)  

 

 

 

Shares Available for Future Awards

As of March 31, 2018, approximately 25,266,822 Shares remained available for grant under the 2013 Plan, 504,844 Shares remained available for grant under the 2014 Plan and 93,836 Shares remained available for grant under an acquired plan. The Board believes that additional Shares are necessary to meet the Company’s anticipated equity compensation needs. The proposed Share increase is expected to last approximately one to two years. This estimate is based on a forecast that takes into account our anticipated rate of growth in hiring, an estimated range of our stock price over time, and our historical forfeiture rates, as well as the number of Shares we have available for grant under our 2014 Plan. We have also considered stockholder feedback in determining an appropriate number of Shares to seek to add to the 2013 Plan.

Reasons for Voting for the Proposal

Long-Term Equity Is a Key Component of Our Compensation Objective

As discussed in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section, our overall compensation objective is to compensate our personnel in a manner that attracts and retains the highly talented employees necessary to manage and staff a high-growth business in an innovative and competitive industry. Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we strive to provide them with compensation packages that are competitive, that reward personal and company performance and that help meet our retention needs. Equity awards, whose value depends on our stock performance and which require continued service over time before any value can be realized, help achieve these objectives and are a key element of our compensation program. Equity awards also incentivize our employees to manage our business as owners, aligning their interests with those of our stockholders. We believe we must continue to use equity compensation on a broad basis to help attract, retain and motivate employees to continue to grow our business, develop new products and ultimately increase stockholder value. As of March 31, 2018, approximately 16,440 of our employees held outstanding equity awards.

The 2013 Plan Requires Additional Shares to Meet Our Forecasted Needs

We currently forecast granting equity awards representing approximately 23,835,192 Shares (or 38,335,502 fungible shares, i.e., taking into account that full value awards such as restricted stock units deplete the 2013 Plan share reserve at a rate of 2.15 Shares for every Share subject to the full value award) over the next one-year period, or approximately 5% of our Common Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2018. We also anticipate Share forfeitures and cancellations of approximately 2,313,481 Shares (or 3,608,845 fungible shares) over this period, based on our historic rates.

If our expectation for forfeitures is accurate, our net grants (grants less forfeitures and cancellations) over the next one-year period would be approximately 21,521,711 Shares (or 34,726,656 fungible shares), or approximately 5% of our Common Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2018.

As described above, the 2013 Plan has 25,266,822 Shares available for grant as of March 31, 2018. Our 2014 Plan allows us to grant awards to new employees as a material inducement to their joining the Company, such as in acquisitions, which assists us in meeting a portion of our equity compensation needs, but only with respect to a limited group. We believe additional Shares should be reserved for issuance under our 2013 Plan to meet our estimated near-term equity compensation needs.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and geography for employee talent and do not expect required rates of compensation to decline. One alternative to using equity awards would be to significantly increase cash compensation. We do not believe this would be practical or advisable. As a high-growth company, we believe that a combination of equity and cash compensation is better for attracting, retaining and motivating employees. Any significant increase in cash compensation in lieu of equity awards would reduce the cash otherwise available for operations and investment in our business. Furthermore, we do not believe a more cash-oriented program would have the same long-term retention value or serve to align employees’ interests to those of our stockholders as well as a program that includes equity.

We Manage Our Equity Incentive Program Thoughtfully

We manage our long-term stockholder dilution by limiting the number of equity awards granted annually and limiting what we grant to what we believe is an appropriate amount of equity necessary to attract, reward and retain employees. Our three-year average burn rate, which we define as the number of Shares subject to equity awards granted in a fiscal year divided by the weighted average Shares outstanding for that fiscal year, was 2.17% for fiscal years 2016 through 2018 (see chart on page 60 for detailed calculation of our three-year burn rates). We are also mindful of the ratio of our stock-based compensation expense to our revenues over time; this ratio has decreased in recent years.

Equity Awards Outstanding

As of March 31, 2018, equity awards outstanding under Salesforce equity plans were approximately: 24,905,926 stock options, no unvested restricted shares, 23,871,234 restricted stock units and 806,427 performance-based restricted stock units. An additional 1,331,747 stock options, 373,293 restricted stock units and no unvested restricted shares were outstanding under equity awards that had been assumed in connection with mergers and other corporate transactions as of March 31, 2018. As of March 31, 2018, we had 733,218,756 Shares outstanding. Accordingly, our approximately 25,050,954 outstanding awards (not including awards under our employee stock purchase plan) plus 25,865,562 Shares available for future grant under our equity plans (not including under our employee stock purchase plan) as of March 31, 2018 represented approximately 10.5% of our Common Stock outstanding (commonly referred to as the “overhang”). As of March 31, 2018, the average weighted per share exercise price of all outstanding stock options (whether granted under Salesforce-originated equity plans or assumed in connection with corporate transactions) was $78.40 and the weighted average remaining contractual term was 5.1 years.

 

 

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  PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT OF THE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN   

  TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE (CONTINUED) 

 

 

       

 

The 2013 Plan Incorporates Good Compensation and Governance Practices

 

  Administration.    The 2013 Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board, which is comprised entirely of independent non-employee directors.

 

  Broad-based eligibility for equity awards.    We grant equity awards to a broad range of our employees. By doing so, we align employee interests with those of stockholders. Approximately 82% of all outstanding equity awards, on a share basis, as of March 31, 2018 were held by employees who are not Named Executive Officers or directors. In fiscal 2018, approximately 100% of all equity awards, on a share basis, were issued to employees who are not Named Executive Officers or directors, with approximately 10% of all employees who are not Named Executive Officers or directors receiving awards.

 

  Minimum vesting for equity awards.    The 2013 Plan provides that awards may not become exercisable, vest or settle prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of grant, except in the case of a participant’s death, disability or in the event of a transaction (as described in the 2013 Plan). The foregoing is subject to a 5% carve-out, as discussed in further detail below.

 

  Stockholder approval is required for additional Shares.    The 2013 Plan does not contain an annual “evergreen” provision but instead reserves a fixed maximum number of Shares for issuance. Stockholder approval is required to increase that number.

 

  Explicit prohibition on repricing without stockholder approval.    The 2013 Plan prohibits the repricing, cash-out or other exchange of underwater stock options and stock appreciation rights without prior stockholder approval.

 

  No discounted stock options or stock appreciation rights.    The 2013 Plan requires that stock options and stock appreciation rights issued under it must have an exercise price equal to at least the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date the award is granted, except in certain situations in which we are assuming or replacing options granted by another company that we are acquiring.
  No dividends or dividend equivalents on unvested restricted stock or restricted stock units.    The 2013 Plan provides that dividends or other distributions credited or payable in connection with restricted stock or restricted stock units are subject to the same restrictions as the underlying award and will not be paid until the underlying award vests.

 

  Share-counting provisions.    In general, when awards granted under the 2013 Plan expire or are cancelled without having been fully exercised, or are settled in cash, the Shares reserved for those awards are returned to the share reserve and become available for future awards. However, if Shares are tendered to us or withheld by us to pay a stock option’s or stock appreciation right’s exercise price or satisfy such award’s tax withholding obligations, those Shares do not become available for future awards. Also, if a stock appreciation right is exercised, we subtract from the 2013 Plan share reserve the full number of Shares subject to the portion of the stock appreciation right actually exercised, regardless of how many Shares actually were used to settle the stock appreciation right.

 

  Full-value awards count more heavily in reducing the 2013 Plan share reserve.    The 2013 Plan uses a “fungible share” concept, under which options and stock appreciation rights reduce the share reserve on a one-for-one basis, but full-value awards, such as restricted shares and restricted stock units, reduce the reserve on a 2.15-for-one basis.

 

  Limited transferability.    In general, awards may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered, either voluntarily or by operation of law, unless otherwise approved by the Board or a committee of the Board administering the 2013 Plan.

 

  Annual limits on non-employee director awards.    The 2013 Plan limits the number of Shares that may be granted under non-employee director awards each fiscal year.

 

  No tax gross-ups.    The 2013 Plan does not provide for any tax gross-ups.
 

 

Summary of the 2013 Plan

 

The following is a summary of the operation and principal features of the 2013 Plan. The summary is qualified in its entirety by the 2013 Plan as set forth in Appendix C.

Purpose

The purposes of the 2013 Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, to provide incentives to individuals who perform services to the Company and to promote the success of the Company’s business. These incentives are provided through the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance bonus awards, performance shares and performance units.

Authorized Shares

At the 2013 Annual Meeting, our stockholders approved reserving a total of 48 million Shares, plus any Shares reserved but not issued, and not subject to outstanding awards, under the Prior Plans as of the date stockholders initially approved the 2013 Plan, on a one-for-one basis, but limited to a maximum of 23.8 million Shares; and any Shares subject to equity awards outstanding under the Prior Plans as of the date of initial stockholder approval of the 2013 Plan that thereafter expire, are forfeited, repurchased, cancelled or otherwise terminate (or otherwise would have, but for termination of the applicable Prior Plan, again become available for use under such Prior Plan), in this case with Shares underlying stock options and stock appreciation rights that so become

 

 

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  PROPOSAL 3 — APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT OF THE EQUITY  INCENTIVE PLAN 

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available being credited to the 2013 Plan share reserve on a one-for-one basis, and Shares subject to other types of equity awards (i.e., full value awards), being credited to the 2013 Plan share reserve on a 2.15-for-one basis; provided, however, that no more than 54,332,000 Shares may be added to the 2013 Plan pursuant to this provision.

At the 2015 Annual Meeting, our stockholders approved reserving an additional 37 million Shares.

At the 2017 Annual Meeting, our stockholders approved reserving an additional 37 million Shares.

The stockholders are now being asked to approve an additional 40 million Shares to become available for issuance under the 2013 Plan. As of March 31, 2018, we had approximately 25,266,822 Shares available for issuance under the 2013 Plan.

Share Reserve Reduction and Share Recycling

Any Shares subject to options or stock appreciation rights are counted against the 2013 Plan share reserve as one Share for every one Share subject to the award. Any Shares subject to awards granted under the 2013 Plan other than options or stock appreciation rights (i.e., full value awards, including restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance units and performance shares) are counted against the 2013 Plan share reserve as 2.15 Shares for every one Share subject thereto.

If any award granted under the 2013 Plan expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, is surrendered or is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company due to failure to vest, the unpurchased or forfeited or repurchased Shares subject to such award become available for future grant or sale under the 2013 Plan. When Shares underlying full value awards are so returned to the 2013 Plan share reserve, 2.15 Shares are returned to the 2013 Plan reserve for each Share underlying such award.

With respect to the exercise of stock appreciation rights, the gross number of Shares covered by the portion of the exercised award, whether or not actually issued pursuant to such exercise, cease to be available under the 2013 Plan. If Shares subject to restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares or performance units are repurchased by or forfeited to the Company due to failure to vest, such Shares become available for future grant under the 2013 Plan (and increase the 2013 Plan reserve on the 2.15-for-one basis described above).

Shares used to pay the purchase price or satisfy tax withholding obligations of awards other than stock options or stock appreciation rights become available for future issuance under the 2013 Plan. However, Shares used to pay the exercise price or purchase price of an option or stock appreciation right or to satisfy tax withholding obligations relating to such awards do not become available for future issuance under the 2013 Plan.

Adjustments to Shares Subject to the 2013 Plan

In the event of any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property, but excepting normal cash dividends), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, reincorporation, reclassification, merger, consolidation, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure affecting the Company’s Common Stock, the Administrator (as defined below), in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the 2013 Plan, will adjust the number and class of Shares that may be delivered under the 2013 Plan, the number, class and price of Shares subject to outstanding awards and the numerical award limitations. Any fractional Shares resulting from the adjustment will be rounded down to the nearest whole number, and in no event may the exercise or purchase price under any award be decreased to an amount less than the par value.

Administration

The 2013 Plan will be administered by the Board or a committee of individuals satisfying applicable laws appointed by the Board (the “Committee”). The Board has appointed its Compensation Committee as the Committee administering the 2013 Plan. Different Committees may administer the 2013 Plan with respect to different groups of service providers. If the Administrator desires to qualify grants to certain officers and key employees of the Company as exempt under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, the members of the Committee must qualify as “non-employee directors” under such rule. (For purposes of this summary of the 2013 Plan, the term “Administrator” will refer to either the Committee or the Board.) The Administrator may delegate day-to-day administration of the 2013 Plan, and any of the functions assigned to it, to one or more individuals.

Subject to the terms of the 2013 Plan, the Administrator has the sole discretion to select the employees, consultants, and directors who will receive awards, to determine the terms and conditions of awards (including the exercise price, the method of payment for Shares purchased under awards, the method of satisfaction of any tax withholding obligation arising in connection with an award, and the exercise terms for any award), to modify or amend each award subject to the restrictions of the 2013 Plan (including to accelerate vesting or waive forfeiture restrictions subject to any minimum vesting requirements set forth in the 2013 Plan), and to interpret the provisions of the 2013 Plan and outstanding awards. The Administrator may allow a participant to defer the receipt of payment of cash or delivery of Shares that otherwise would be due to such participant, provided that, unless expressly determined by the Administrator, such deferral election must comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the guidance promulgated thereunder (“Section 409A”). The Administrator may make rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for

 

 

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the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws or qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable foreign laws. The Administrator may correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the 2013 Plan of any award agreement and may make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the 2013 Plan.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator cannot institute, without prior stockholder approval, an exchange program whereby the exercise prices of outstanding awards may be reduced, outstanding awards may be surrendered or cancelled in exchange for awards with a higher or lower exercise price, or outstanding awards may be transferred to a third party.

Eligibility

Awards may be granted to employees, directors and consultants of the Company and employees and consultants of any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Performance Bonus Awards also may only be granted to employees of the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Incentive stock options may be granted only to employees who, as of the time of grant, are employees of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company. As of March 31, 2018, there were approximately 29,594 employees, including five Named Executive Officers, and 10 non-employee directors, each of whom would be eligible to be granted awards under the 2013 Plan. In principle, any consultant to the Company is eligible to participate in the 2013 Plan, subject to certain SEC limitations. However, the Company’s current practice is generally not to grant equity awards to consultants except in certain limited cases. In fiscal 2018, five consultants received equity awards under the 2013 Plan.

Minimum Vesting

Notwithstanding anything in the 2013 Plan to the contrary, equity-based awards granted under the 2013 Plan may not become exercisable, vest or be settled, in whole or in part, prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of grant, except that the Administrator may provide that awards become exercisable, vest or settle prior to such date in the event of the participant’s death or disability or in the event of a transaction described in the 2013 Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, up to 5% of the sum of (a) the number of Shares available for future grants on the date the Board approved the amended and restated version of the 2013 Plan (49,366,482 Shares as of March 14, 2018), plus (b) the proposed increase in the number of Shares available for issuance under the 2013 Plan (as described above), may be issued pursuant to awards subject to any, or no, vesting conditions, as the Administrator determines appropriate.

Stock Options

Options granted under the 2013 Plan are evidenced by a written agreement between the Company and the participant specifying the number of Shares subject to the option, the exercise price, the expiration date of the option, any conditions to exercise the options, and the other terms and conditions of the option, consistent with the requirements of the 2013 Plan.

The exercise price per Share of each option may not be less than the fair market value of a Share of the Company’s Common Stock on the date of grant. However, any incentive stock option granted to a person who at the time of grant owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company (a “Ten Percent Stockholder”) must have an exercise price per share equal to at least 110% of the fair market value of a Share on the date of grant. In addition, stock options may be granted with an exercise price per share of less than the fair market value of a Share of the Company’s Common Stock in certain situations in which we are assuming or replacing options granted by another company that we are acquiring. The aggregate fair market value of the Shares (determined on the grant date) covered by incentive stock options which first become exercisable by any participant during any calendar year also may not exceed $100,000. Generally, the fair market value of the Common Stock is the closing sales price per share on the relevant date as quoted on the NYSE.

The 2013 Plan provides that the Administrator will determine acceptable forms of consideration for exercising an option. An option is deemed exercised when the Company receives the notice of exercise and full payment for the Shares to be exercised, together with applicable tax withholdings.

Options are exercisable at such times or under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the award agreement. The maximum term of an option is as specified in the award agreement, provided that options may not have a term of more than seven years, and provided further that an incentive stock option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder must have a term not exceeding five years.

The Administrator determines and specifies in each written award agreement, and solely in its discretion, the period of post-termination exercise applicable to each option. In the absence of such a determination by the Administrator, the participant generally is able to exercise the option to the extent vested for (i) 90 days following the participant’s termination as a service provider for reasons other than death, disability, or cause and (ii) 12 months following his or her termination due to death or disability. If the exercise of the option is prevented by applicable law within the time periods otherwise applicable, the option generally will remain exercisable for 90 days (or such longer period determined by the Administrator) following the date the participant received notice that the option is exercisable. If a sale within the applicable post-termination exercise period would subject the participant to suit under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, the option generally will remain exercisable until the 10th day following the date on which a sale of the Shares by the participant would no longer be subject to suit. Options terminate immediately upon the participant’s termination for cause. In no event can an option be exercised after the expiration of the term of the option.

Restricted Stock Awards

Awards of restricted stock are rights to acquire or purchase Shares, which vest in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the Administrator in its sole discretion. Restricted

 

 

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stock awards are evidenced by a written agreement between the Company and the participant specifying the number of Shares subject to the award and the other terms and conditions of the award, consistent with the requirements of the 2013 Plan.

Restricted stock awards are subject to vesting conditions as the Administrator specifies, and the Shares acquired may not be transferred by the participant until the vesting conditions (if any) are satisfied. The Administrator may establish vesting criteria in its discretion, which may be based on continued employment or service, company-wide, departmental, divisional, business unit, or individual goals, applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis and which may include the performance goals listed below, and which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number of restricted stock units to be paid out to participants. Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code limits a publicly traded company’s federal income tax deduction for compensation in excess of $1 million paid to its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and the next three highest-paid executive officers. Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law on December 22, 2017, compensation that satisfied conditions set forth under Section 162(m) to qualify as “performance-based compensation” was not subject to the limitation, and the limitation did not apply to compensation paid to the Chief Financial Officer. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the performance-based compensation exception beginning January 1, 2018, but provided a transition rule with respect to remuneration provided pursuant to a written binding contract, which was in effect on November 2, 2017 and not materially modified after that date. The Compensation Committee intends to administer any awards granted prior to November 2, 2017, which qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m), as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including certain awards made under the 2013 Plan that are intended to qualify as performance-based compensation, in accordance with the transition rules applicable to binding contracts in effect on November 2, 2017. With respect to such awards, in order for the award to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), restrictions imposed by the Administrator were based on a specified list of performance goals and certain other requirements (see “Performance Goals” below for more information). Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, a participant will forfeit any shares of restricted stock as to which the restrictions have not lapsed prior to the participant’s termination of service.

Participants holding restricted stock generally have the right to vote the Shares and to receive any dividends paid, provided that dividends or other distributions credited or payable in connection with shares of restricted stock that are not yet vested will be subject to the same restrictions and risk of forfeiture as the underlying award and will not be paid until the underlying award vests.

Restricted Stock Units

The Administrator may grant restricted stock units which represent a right to receive Shares at a future date as set forth in the participant’s award agreement. Restricted stock units granted under the 2013 Plan are evidenced by a written agreement

between the Company and the participant specifying the number of restricted stock units subject to the award, any vesting conditions, and other terms and conditions of the award, consistent with the requirements of the 2013 Plan.

Restricted stock units vest if the performance goals or other vesting criteria the Administrator may establish are achieved. Earned restricted stock units may be settled, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, in cash, Shares, or a combination of both. The Administrator may establish vesting criteria in its discretion, which may be based on continued employment or service, company-wide, departmental, divisional, business unit, or individual goals, applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis and which may include the performance goals listed below, and which, depending on the extent they are met, will determine the number of Shares or amount of cash to be paid out to participants. For any awards granted prior to November 2, 2017 that the Administrator intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), restrictions were based on a specified list of performance goals and certain other requirements (see “Performance Goals” below for more information).

A participant will forfeit any unearned restricted stock units as of the date or under the conditions set forth in the award agreement.

Participants holding restricted stock units have no voting rights with respect to the Shares represented by the restricted stock units until the date the underlying Shares are issued, consistent with the terms of the 2013 Plan. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may provide in the participant’s award agreement that the participant shall be entitled to receive dividend equivalents with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Shares having a record date prior to the date on which the restricted stock units are settled or forfeited, consistent with the terms of the 2013 Plan. Settlement of dividend equivalents may be made in cash, Shares, or a combination thereof as determined by the Administrator. Any additional restricted stock units resulting from dividend equivalents will be subject to the same terms and conditions, including vesting conditions, as the restricted stock units to which they relate and shall not be paid or settled prior to the time that the underlying award vests. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in Shares or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company, appropriate adjustments will be made to a participant’s restricted stock unit award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than normal cash dividends) to which the participant would be entitled by reason of the Shares issuable upon settlement of the award and any new, substituted, or additional securities or other property will be subject to the same vesting conditions as are applicable to the award.

Stock Appreciation Rights

A stock appreciation right gives a participant the right to receive the appreciation in the fair market value of Company Common Stock between the date of grant of the award and the date of its exercise. Each stock appreciation right granted under the 2013 Plan is to be evidenced by a written agreement between the Company and the participant specifying the exercise price and

 

 

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  TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE (CONTINUED) 

 

 

       

 

the other terms and conditions of the award, consistent with the requirements of the 2013 Plan.

The exercise price per share of each stock appreciation right may not be less than the fair market value of a Share on the date of grant, except in certain situations in which we are assuming or replacing stock appreciation rights granted by another company that we are acquiring. Upon exercise of a stock appreciation right, the holder of the award will be entitled to receive an amount determined by multiplying (i) the difference between the fair market value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price by (ii) the number of exercised Shares. The Company may pay the appreciation in cash, in Shares, or in some combination thereof. The term of a stock appreciation right must be no more than seven years from the date of grant. The terms and conditions relating to the period of post-termination exercise with respect to options described above also apply to stock appreciation rights.

Performance Units and Performance Shares

Performance units and performance shares may also be granted under the 2013 Plan. Each award of performance units or performance shares granted under the 2013 Plan is to be evidenced by a written agreement between the Company and the participant specifying any vesting conditions, the number of performance units or performance shares (as applicable), and other terms and conditions of the award, consistent with the requirements of the 2013 Plan. Performance units and performance shares will result in a payment to a participant only if the performance goals or other vesting criteria (if any) the Administrator may establish are achieved or the awards otherwise vest (if applicable). Earned performance units and performance shares will be paid, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, in the form of cash, Shares, or in a combination thereof. The Administrator may set vesting criteria based upon continued employment or service, the achievement of specific performance objectives (Company-wide, departmental, divisional, business unit or individual goals, applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis), and which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of performance units and performance shares to be paid out to participants. For any awards granted prior to November 2, 2017 that the Administrator intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), restrictions were based on a specified list of performance goals and certain other requirements (see “Performance Goals” below for more information).

Performance units will have an initial value established by the Administrator on or before the date of grant. Each performance share will have an initial value equal to the fair market value of a Share on the grant date. A participant will forfeit any performance shares or performance units that are unearned or unvested as of the date set forth in the award agreement.

Participants holding performance units or performance shares have no voting rights with respect to the Shares represented by the performance units or performance shares until the date the underlying Shares are issued, consistent with the terms of the 2013 Plan. No dividend equivalents may be granted with respect

to performance units. However, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may provide in the participant’s performance share award agreement that the participant will be entitled to receive dividend equivalents with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Shares having a record date prior to the date on which the performance shares are settled or forfeited, consistent with the terms of the 2013 Plan. Settlement of dividend equivalents may be made in cash, Shares, or a combination thereof as determined by the Administrator. Any additional performance shares resulting from dividend equivalents will be subject to the same terms and conditions, including vesting conditions, as the performance shares to which they relate and shall not be paid or settled prior to the time that the underlying award vests. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in Shares or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company, appropriate adjustments will be made to a participant’s award of performance shares so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than normal cash dividends) to which the participant would be entitled by reason of the Shares issuable upon settlement of the award and any new, substituted, or additional securities or other property will be subject to the same vesting conditions as are applicable to the award.

Performance Bonus Awards

Performance bonus awards may also be granted under the 2013 Plan to employees in the form of a cash bonus payable upon the attainment of performance goals or objectives determined by the Administrator. For any awards granted prior to November 2, 2017 that were intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), restrictions were based on a specified list of performance goals and certain other requirements (see “Performance Goals” below for more information). The Administrator has complete discretion to determine the amount of the cash bonus that can be earned under a performance bonus award, provided that no one participant may be granted performance bonus awards that could result in the participant receiving more than $10,000,000 in any one fiscal year of the Company.

Performance Goals

The Administrator (in its discretion) may make performance goals applicable to an award recipient with respect to any award granted in its discretion, including but not limited to one or more of the performance goals listed below. Prior to the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, if the Administrator desired that an award of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units or performance bonuses under the 2013 Plan qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) (discussed below), then the award had to be made subject to the attainment of performance goals relating to one or more business criteria within the meaning of Section 162(m) and could provide for a targeted level or levels of achievement using one or more of the following measures: revenue, gross margin, operating margin, operating income, operating profit or net operating profit, pre-tax profit, earnings (which may include earnings before interest, taxes and

 

 

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 TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INCREASE PLAN SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE  (CONTINUED)  

 

 

 

depreciation, earnings before taxes and net earnings), net income, cash flow (including operating cash flow or free cash flow), expenses, the market price of the Company’s Common Stock, earnings per share, return on stockholder equity, return on capital, return on assets or net assets, return on equity, return on investment, economic value added, number of customers, stock price, growth in stockholder value relative to the moving average on the S&P 500 Index or another index, market share, contract awards or backlog, overhead or other expense reduction, credi