Salesforce co-founder responds to CEO’s ICE joke; Accenture ties advancement to AI chops

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the last week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Salesforce co-founder critical of CEO’s ICE joke in internal remarks — but firm on policy

Salesforce co-founder and chief technology officer Parker Harris commented on CEO Marc Benioff’s controversial jokes about ICE — and reports state that he’s less than pleased.

According to a transcript from an internal meeting obtained by Business Insider, Harris said he was “not OK” with Benioff’s remarks, but also pointed to the company’s rules on leaks to ensure that further developments stayed in-house, which they clearly did not.

“Marc made a very bad joke,” Harris, who is the company’s chief technical officer, said. “But that’s something that Marc did, and I’m not gonna call him out in public out on the internet.”

“Let’s talk about it with each other and not out to Business Insider and other places because it doesn’t do us any good,” he said, adding, “It’s a violation of the Code of Conduct, and it’s a fireable offense. And if we do catch you, we will fire you.”

Harris’ response shows that both tone and sequencing matter when addressing internal crises. By noting that he opposed Benioff’s statements but quickly pivoted to the company’s Code of Conduct, the message shifts from leadership accountability to crisis containment. For internal comms, the risk isn’t so much the leak itself as the perception among employees that leadership cares more about containing the controversy than truly addressing the root of the problem. In high-tension moments like this, if employees feel overly policed rather than heard, it’s a recipe for a poisonous internal culture.

2. Accenture tells employees promotion will require AI adoption

Consulting giant Accenture has begun tracking employee AI usage and has even said that AI adoption will play a role in whether or not employees are promoted. According to reports by The Financial Times and The Guardian, the move is the latest push into AI, following comments by CEO Julie Sweet last year that the company would “exit” employees who weren’t adopting AI into their workflows.

“Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work. That requires the adoption of the latest tools and technologies to serve our clients most effectively.”

Accenture’s embedding of AI into promotion criteria is a cultural signal to employees. The move communicates to employees that there’s been a fundamental shift in how talent discussions are held, and that your career trajectory is dependent on how you interact with AI tools. For comms, the follow-up messages are going to be more about a shift in employee identity than simple operational guidance.

When career consequences are tied to a behavioral change as they are in Accenture’s case, employee comms need to be clear in their expectations and have modeling from leaders. Without these key aspects, you’ve just got an innovation strategy that can quickly slide into a culture of surveillance, which can be tough to reverse.

3. Cigna announces it’s laying off 2,000 employees — amid high performance and with few details

Health insurer Cigna told employees it was cutting 2,000 jobs, less than a month after it reported solid performance on a quarterly earnings call. CT Insider shared a portion of a written statement Cigna sent to its employees notifying them of the move.

“As we drive greater efficiency across our business, we have made the difficult decision to reduce roles in our workforce,” Cigna officials said in a written statement this week. “This decision was made with deliberate care and focus, and we are providing a package that includes a variety of transition services for impacted colleagues.”

Cigna’s layoff message is rooted in a familiar corporate tone that’s seen in countless layoff memos — but it doesn’t address the tension some employees may feel about seeing job cuts in short succession following a positive earnings call. Compounding the issue is the fact that the layoff announcement reportedly didn’t contain any details about which departments would be affected. In a time of change like a layoff, a communicator’s credibility hinges less on polished phrasing and far more on clearly connecting business strategy to employee impact. A major aspect of that process involves quickly outlining what stability looks like for those who remain — and that should happen from the moment the layoff notice goes out when possible.

4. How about some good news?

• Remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria were resurfaced from beneath the sea so scientists can learn more about the wonder’s construction.
• A seed vault in Chile is protecting the record of the country’s flora.
• A process called “fungi mining” could help recover rare earth minerals without having to drill into rock.
• Ragan Training is an excellent place for communications professionals to find inspiration and valuable resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.