The Marc Benioff house most people ask about is his beachside estate near Waimea on Hawaii’s Big Island, a $24.5 million, 9,800-square-foot home the Salesforce CEO built about 20 years ago. Since then, an NPR investigation revealed Benioff has also quietly bought more than 600 acres of additional land around Waimea — where he’s a familiar sight driving a white Hummer pickup, and where Salesforce brand ambassador Matthew McConaughey is regularly spotted too — on top of a long-held home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Marc Russell Benioff |
| Date of Birth | September 25, 1964 — San Francisco, California |
| Profession | Chair, CEO & Co-Founder, Salesforce; Owner, Time magazine |
| Net Worth | Approximately $8.3 billion, according to Forbes real-time tracking |
| Primary Residences | Waimea, Hawaii (Big Island) and San Francisco, California |
| Total Confirmed Properties | 1 Hawaii beachside home, 600+ acres of additional Hawaii land, 1 San Francisco home |
| Spouse | Lynne Benioff |
1. The Marc Benioff House on Hawaii’s Big Island
Location: Near Waimea, Hawaii’s Big Island — beach resort area below the town
Purchase Price: $24.5 million to build; construction completed roughly 20 years before 2024
Size: 9,800 square feet
Status: Active — Benioff’s longtime Hawaii residence
Two Decades on the Big Island
Benioff built his 9,800-square-foot beachside home near Waimea for $24.5 million about two decades ago, according to NPR, which also reported he bought dozens of acres of ranch land in the area around the same time. Benioff has said the home is where he and his family go “to have a home for our family and then to give,” describing his approach to Hawaii real estate as different from other tech billionaires who have built much larger compounds nearby.
A Second House Used as an Office
Separately, Benioff also owns a midcentury modern home up in Waimea itself, bought in late 2020, which he uses as an office rather than a residence. NPR’s Dara Kerr, who interviewed Benioff there in person, described a redwood house on a hillside with sweeping views of the town and volcanoes, staffed by two assistants and visited occasionally by Benioff’s two golden retrievers.
- 9,800-square-foot beachside home, built for $24.5 million roughly 20 years before 2024
- A separate, smaller midcentury modern house in Waimea used as a private office
- Located in the beach resort area below Waimea town, on Hawaii’s Big Island
- One of nine coastal properties Benioff owns near Hawaii’s beach resorts, per public records cited by NPR
2. His 600-Acre Land Empire Around Waimea
Location: Waimea and surrounding beach resorts, Hawaii’s Big Island
Purchase Price: Combined market value of nearly $100 million across 38 parcels bought since 2000
Size: More than 600 acres total — about 580 acres in Waimea, 25 acres at beach resorts
Status: Active — roughly 165 acres kept for personal use, the rest largely donated to affordable-housing nonprofits
Bought Quietly Through Anonymous LLCs
An NPR investigation found Benioff has bought at least 38 parcels of land in and around Waimea since 2000 through six anonymous LLCs and one nonprofit, all sharing a single Bay Area P.O. box and a Palo Alto registered agent. The purchases accelerated sharply after 2020, when Benioff bought 22 of the 38 parcels, often paying well above market value — in one case, more than 50% above market price for the site of the town’s longtime Mamane Bakery.
Most of It Has Gone to Housing, Not Benioff
Of the roughly 600 acres, Benioff told NPR that 24 parcels covering about 165 acres are kept for his family, including a private ranch with horses. The rest has largely gone to philanthropy: 282 acres donated to the Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation in December 2023 for an affordable-housing project called Ouli, followed by another 158 acres and $7 million in funding in mid-2024, according to SFGATE and other Bay Area coverage of Benioff’s philanthropy. A Benioff spokesperson has said the couple has donated roughly 90% of the land bought since 2020.
- 38 parcels of land bought since 2000, worth close to $100 million combined
- 22 of those parcels purchased since 2020 alone, sparking local concern over rising housing costs
- 440 acres donated to Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation for affordable housing (2023–2024)
- About 165 acres kept for personal and family use, including a private horse ranch
3. His Home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff Neighborhood
Location: Sea Cliff, San Francisco, California — near the Presidio
Purchase Price: Purchase price not publicly disclosed; bought in 2009
Size: Not publicly disclosed
Status: Active — Benioff’s San Francisco residence
A 2009 Purchase Near the Presidio
Benioff bought a home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood in 2009, according to real estate broker Olivia Hsu Decker, quoted by SFGATE in a 2013 report on Bay Area luxury home sales; the same article noted Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey bought a nearby Sea Cliff house that year as well. Sea Cliff sits in San Francisco’s northwest corner, bordered by the Presidio, Baker Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge.
A House With Local Wildlife
In November 2017, Benioff shared security footage on social media of a mountain lion walking past his home near the Presidio in the early morning, notifying city and national park police, a moment covered directly by SFGATE. The anecdote is one of the few public glimpses of the property, which Benioff otherwise keeps largely out of the press despite his high public profile on other topics.
- Purchased in 2009, according to a San Francisco real estate broker quoted by SFGATE
- Located in Sea Cliff, one of San Francisco’s most exclusive coastal enclaves
- Near the Presidio, Baker Beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge
- Site of a widely shared 2017 mountain lion sighting caught on Benioff’s home security camera
Marc Benioff Properties — Complete Overview
| Property | Location | Value | Status |
| Waimea Beachside Home | Near Waimea, Hawaii (Big Island) | $24.5M to build (completed ~2004) | Active — Primary Hawaii Residence |
| Waimea Land Holdings | Waimea, Hawaii (Big Island) | ~$100M combined (38 parcels since 2000) | Active — Mostly Personal, Some Donated |
| Sea Cliff Home | San Francisco, California | Undisclosed (purchased 2009) | Active — San Francisco Residence |
What Marc Benioff’s Real Estate Choices Reveal
Land as Legacy, Not Just Luxury
Unlike tech peers who have built sprawling private compounds in Hawaii, Benioff’s approach has leaned toward buying land quietly and giving most of it away — a pattern that only became public through independent reporting rather than his own disclosure.
Two Coasts, Two Very Different Footprints
Benioff’s Hawaii holdings run into the hundreds of acres and tens of millions of dollars, while his San Francisco home has stayed almost entirely out of public documentation for more than 15 years — a contrast that reflects how differently the two markets, and Benioff himself, treat privacy.
Conclusion
Marc Benioff’s real estate footprint splits between a $24.5 million Hawaii beach house, more than 600 acres of surrounding land largely earmarked for philanthropy, and a San Francisco home he has held since 2009. Confirmed details come from NPR’s 2024 investigation and SFGATE’s Bay Area real estate reporting. GlamHomeGuide will update this page as new details are confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Marc Benioff live?
Benioff splits his time between a beachside home near Waimea on Hawaii’s Big Island, which he built for $24.5 million roughly 20 years ago, and a home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood, which he has owned since 2009.
Why did Marc Benioff buy so much land in Hawaii?
An NPR investigation found Benioff bought at least 38 parcels of land near Waimea since 2000, worth close to $100 million combined. He has said the purchases are for his family’s personal use and for philanthropy, and has donated 440 acres to affordable-housing nonprofits since late 2023.
How much land does Marc Benioff own in Hawaii?
According to NPR’s reporting, Benioff owns more than 600 acres around Waimea. However, he and his wife have donated roughly 90% of what they’ve purchased since 2020, keeping about 165 acres for personal and family use.
Where is Marc Benioff’s house in San Francisco?
Benioff owns a home in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood, near the Presidio, which he purchased in 2009, according to a local real estate broker quoted by SFGATE.
What is Marc Benioff’s net worth?
According to Forbes’ real-time billionaires tracker, Benioff has a net worth of approximately $8.3 billion, primarily tied to his ownership stake in Salesforce.
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This article was researched and written by the GlamHomeGuide editorial team using publicly available information from verified sources, including NPR and SFGATE. All property values are approximate and based on publicly reported figures, which vary by source. GlamHomeGuide is not affiliated with Marc Benioff, Salesforce, or any of his representatives.