Salesforce vs ServiceNow: Founders, CEOs and History
Salesforce was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff and is led by Marc Benioff. ServiceNow was founded in 2003 by Fred Luddy and is led by Bill McDermott.
Company facts
Salesforce
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- Current CEO
- Marc Benioff
- Employees
- 83,334
ServiceNow
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Bill McDermott
- Employees
- 29,187
Founders
Salesforce
Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff is a fiercely visionary American technology entrepreneur, highly aggressive corporate architect, and the profoundly influential CEO and founding patriarch fundamentally responsible for creating the massively dominant Salesforce cloud software empi…
Parker Harris
Parker Harris is an absolutely brilliant software engineer, fiercely skilled digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for programming the incredibly complex infrastructural bedrock of the massive Salesfor…
Dave Moellenhoff
Dave Moellenhoff is a highly astute software engineer, fiercely visionary digital operator, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for architecting the highly critical security and multi-tenant frameworks of the massive S…
Frank Dominguez
Frank Dominguez is a fiercely brilliant software engineer, highly strategic digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for the incredibly robust frontend engineering and early product development of the mas…
ServiceNow
Fred Luddy
Fred Luddy is an American software engineer who founded ServiceNow in 2003 under the name Glidesoft. He had previously served as chief technology officer of Peregrine Systems, a San Diego IT management software vendor.
CEOs and their tenures
Salesforce
- Marc Benioff1999–present
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Benioff has led Salesforce for its entire history, apart from co-CEO periods with Keith Block (2018-2020) and Bret Taylor (2021-2023).
Source - Parker Harris1999–present
Co-founder, Director and Chief Technology Officer, Slack
Harris is the remaining co-founder in an executive role and a member of the board.
Source
ServiceNow
- Fred Luddy2003–2011
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Designed the original platform and led the company until 2011.
Source - Frank Slootman2011–2017
Chief Executive Officer
Took ServiceNow public on the NYSE in 2012.
Source - John Donahoe2017–2019
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive of ServiceNow from 2017 to 2019 before leaving to become CEO of Nike.
Source - Bill McDermott2019–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Revenue grew from $3.46 billion in 2019 to $13.278 billion in 2025 under his leadership.
Source - Gina Mastantuono2020–present
President and Chief Financial Officer
Leads finance, guidance and capital allocation, including the share repurchase program.
Source
Timeline: Salesforce and ServiceNow side by side
1999Salesforce
Salesforce is founded
Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez founded Salesforce to deliver CRM through a browser.
2003ServiceNow
ServiceNow founded
Fred Luddy founded the company that became ServiceNow with a cloud-native IT service management vision.
2004Salesforce
NYSE IPO
Salesforce completed its initial public offering and gave the SaaS model public-market proof.
2005Salesforce
AppExchange launches
Salesforce opened the platform to third-party applications, strengthening its ecosystem moat.
2012ServiceNow
Initial public offering
ServiceNow went public on the New York Stock Exchange under NOW.
2019Salesforce
Tableau acquisition closes
Salesforce added analytics and visualization through the Tableau acquisition.
2019ServiceNow
Bill McDermott becomes CEO
Bill McDermott joined ServiceNow after leading SAP.
2021Salesforce
Slack acquisition closes
Salesforce acquired Slack to add workplace collaboration as a workflow surface for CRM data.
2025ServiceNow
Revenue reaches $13.278B
ServiceNow reported $13.278 billion in total revenue and $12.883 billion in subscription revenue.
2025ServiceNow
5-for-1 stock split
A 5-for-1 common stock split became effective on December 17, 2025.
2025ServiceNow
Moveworks acquisition closes
ServiceNow completed its roughly $2.85 billion acquisition of Moveworks on December 15, 2025.
2026Salesforce
FY2026 revenue reaches $41.525B
Salesforce reported $41.525 billion in FY2026 revenue, with subscription and support revenue of $39.388 billion.
2026Salesforce
Q2 fiscal 2027 and raised guidance
Salesforce reported Q2 fiscal 2027 revenue of $11.345 billion, up 11%, Agentforce and Data 360 ARR of nearly $3.9 billion, and raised fiscal 2027 guidance to $46.1-46.4 billion.
2026ServiceNow
Armis acquisition closes
ServiceNow completed its $7.75 billion cash acquisition of Armis in April 2026, after closing Veza in March.
2026ServiceNow
Q2 2026 results
Q2 revenue rose 24% to $3.987 billion, and ServiceNow AI passed $1 billion in annual contract value.
Acquisitions
Salesforce
- Informatica2025$8B
- Own2024$1.9B
- PredictSpring and Tenyx2024Undisclosed
- Airkit.ai2023Undisclosed
- Spiff2023Undisclosed
- Troops.ai2022Undisclosed
ServiceNow
- Armis2026$7.8B
- Veza2026Undisclosed
- Moveworks2025$2.9B
- Lightstep2021Undisclosed
- Element AI2021Undisclosed
Questions about Salesforce vs ServiceNow
Who is the CEO of Salesforce, Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Salesforce, Inc. is led by Marc Benioff and ServiceNow, Inc. is led by Bill McDermott. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Salesforce, Inc. founded vs ServiceNow, Inc.?
Salesforce, Inc. was founded in 1999 — 4 years before ServiceNow, Inc., which was founded in 2003. Salesforce, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger ServiceNow, Inc..
How many employees does Salesforce, Inc. have compared to ServiceNow, Inc.?
Salesforce, Inc. employs approximately 83,334 people, while ServiceNow, Inc. employs approximately 29,187. Salesforce, Inc. has the larger workforce at 83,334 employees, compared to ServiceNow, Inc.'s 29,187. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Salesforce, Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc. headquartered?
Both Salesforce, Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Salesforce, Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Salesforce, Inc. was founded by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, Frank Dominguez. ServiceNow, Inc. was founded by Fred Luddy.
Which company has a longer operating history — Salesforce, Inc. or ServiceNow, Inc.?
Salesforce, Inc. has been operating for approximately 27 years, making it the more established of the two companies. ServiceNow, Inc. has been in operation for around 23 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Salesforce vs ServiceNow overview