![AP_01072502966](https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55e61babbd86ef13008b773c-1992-1348/ap_01072502966.jpg)
Eric Risberg/AP
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff in 2001.
Between Salesforce's annual Dreamforce mega-conference in San Francisco, his philanthropy, and his ongoing fight against discrimination laws in places like Georgia and Indiana, Benioff seems like he's always making headlines.
Here's how Benioff, with a net worth of $3.9 billion, worked his way up to the national stage from humble origins.