Fireside Chat with Brunello Cucinelli and Marc Benioff | Salesforce

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome chairman and.

CEO Salesforce Marc Benioff. All right, Please welcome my good friend, Brunello Cuccinelli.

I'm very honored, but unfortunately, my knowledge of the English language does not allow me to speak to you with my soul. That's why I will be here for the translation.

And can you introduce us to your translator today?

The first thing I'd like to do is express a great thanks to you. Well, to Salesforce to start with. Great thanks. Because when we discussed with them, we are a very tiny business, but you, Paulo, especially who is here, you were able to really understand what we needed as a small company. And it is not easy for a large business to be able to listen to a small business. Plutarch. In the Art of Listening, he stated that half of the problems could be solved just by listening. So that's the first thanks and the second I'd like to thank Mark as a person, because the night when the big earthquake struck us in Umbria, Mark sent me an email. And it was a very moving, touching email. And he basically asked me, how are things over there? And then he said, I'd like to do something for you. And the day after the earthquake, I went to this small town and I was met by some monks and listen to what they said to me. Beautiful. We are all crying over our city in brambles. But you should remember a special thing. Whilst Jerusalem was basically in ruins, there was a great prophet there, Jeremiah, flanked by a young boy whose name was Baruch. Jeremiah said to Baruch, this is a small piece of land, piece of paper that says that you are the owner of this piece of land. And that's where the reconstruction of Jerusalem should start from this piece of land. And a few days later, Mark said to us, we would like to help you to rebuild the municipal power tower that was the symbol of this small hamlet that is really the place of the soul. Thank you to all Americans. And then last night I went to the concert. It's really fascinating. And you are very lucky too, because it was not so cold. I really saw some special things about the hospital. And once more I'm convinced this human being standing here is a human being who was given, bestowed with something special. Special by the creation. That is the love for the guardianship and custody of mankind. Hopefully we will be good guardians too.

It's going to be a very easy interview, actually. So.

When I received this invitation, you see, I couldn't sleep for a few nights afterwards, because in this special place on earth, you are basically guiding and leading the way for mankind for the next centuries to come. No, not for the next decades. That's why I said I'd really love to exchange views with you. And Mark picked a very fascinating title. Graceful, Gracious Technology. Because we need to rediscover kindness, politeness, good manners, our children, To see in us a view, a vision for a new mankind. And I see many young people in the audience here. And I'd really like to envisage you as the new guardians, the new custodians, defenders of the coming of the millennium that is upon us. We need. Good. Because come to talk to you about my experience. You see, we used to live in the countryside when I was young. We used to work the land with our animals. And I can still see, visualize the shapes. I can still smell the scents of the countryside. We had no electricity in our home, but nevertheless, my parents never quarreled, they never fought. However, I had this grandfather, very slim. And while he was walking, he would keep saying, I hope that God sends us a fair amount of rain of sunshine. So immediately I came across this idea of combining profit and giving back in a fair manner. Giving back to the community. Because this is what we need to rediscover in mankind. This combination. Every company, we are listed company as much as you are. We need to make a profit, mind you, but we want to make a fair profit. We also want to pursue this profit without harming mankind along the process. We want to show respect for the human being and the wildlife. Do you know why I do not speak English? I can fairly understand it, but I can't speak it. Because when I was very young, as a young boy, study at all, actually, instead of going to universities, you see, those 10 years, I didn't do anything, nothing at all. Maybe we would go to university, but just play pranks and jokes. I had so much fun back then. I spent my days at the typical Italian cafe. We would discuss women, philosophy, theology, architecture. But I did not study anything. And when I was 25, I started, you know, this enterprise, this little study that I had done. Basically, I only studied the great philosophers, the Greek philosophers and thinkers. That's the only thing I would read and study. Because they really showed me the way in life. There is a very meaningful statement by Hadrian, the emperor, the Roman emperor, who stated, books showed me the way of life. And life made me understand what books were about. You see, I started my business especially with you Americans. I have a lot of gratitude towards your people, towards your nation. The true dream I have nurtured all my life has been to work in order to foster the human and moral and economic dignity of humanity. When I was looking at my father, my father had been humiliated at the factory. And I saw his teary eyes. You see, I was 15 back then, and I couldn't understand why a man would be offended at work, at the workplace. He was doing really very simple job. But those teary eyes were the source of inspiration for my life. When I was 15, 16, I said to myself, I don't know what I will do as a grown up. I want to work in order to foster the moral, economic dignity of human beings. I want to be a guardian of this mankind. I want to be a graceful guardian of this mankind. Well, I have to tell you something special about this man. The first time we met was about a year and a half ago at a dinner party. And he was talking to me in a very charming way, very fascinating. And I said to him, mark, I think that you are one of the most important men in history, basically, of mankind now. The man who will be able to insert the human factor into the web, to humanize the next web, that will be the real one. And then we'll be talking about this later. So then the day after the dinner party, I went back. It was a Saturday. And then Paolo Bergamo, on the following Monday, he came to visit us in Italy, turned up and said, how can we humanize the web? And I said, I have no answer to that question. But we do need to rediscover a healthy mankind. This is the reason why, because I've come here to the cradle of the genius. I think you liked that, the cradle of the genius. You are the cradle of the genius. This place is. And so all you enlightened people, you should gather together, you should discuss and tell us, mankind, tell us, because we really are in need to know. We need to understand how we can. We have to manage and run these technologies on a daily basis so that these technologies do not steal from us the soul that the creation gave us. You see, I believe that the Internet and the whole of this world is a great gift that was bestowed upon us by the creation. I see it as a gift, the fact that we are online all the time, somehow, I would say it is becoming a sort of burden for our soul. All thinkers, they say that we all carry some sort of burden in our souls since when we were born. You elephants call it the elephant in the middle of the room. We don't want to talk about it, but we do have some sorrow in Our soul. So we need. We need for us to rule technologies in a better way. So I don't know how this can be done. I'd like a very important Saint of the 500 after Christ, St. Benedict, who said, you should look after your mind every day through study your soul through praying and then work. I have the feeling we tend to overwork nowadays. I know I shouldn't say so, but I have this impression that we work too much. Therefore we need to really try and not do that anymore. Take a break from that. First of all, I've always liked an expression by Einstein. Einstein actually said, a human being can be focused for tops five hours a day in a row. So it means that working 24 hours a day, all the time, cannot be good. Well, at least at our company this is not possible. It's forbidden. We start working at 8am we work until 1, then we have a pretty long lunch break. Because for us, having our pasta is very important. It has an important value. It is forbidden to work after half past 5pm and it is forbidden to be online and send business emails on Saturdays and Sundays. And then we also have had another idea in the company. Say we gave value back to phone calls. If you have something important to tell me, you call me instead of writing. Because after you've had your well deserved rest the night before, then you can be creative in the morning. Jean Jacques Rousseau said something very interesting. A human being can be created when he or she is surrounded by harmony with mankind. Everything is at peace with mankind. Because when you are tired, you stop listening. When you are tired, you can't be a genius. So we need our rest. I think that over 20% of our time is basically wasted. Nothing. I don't know if you notice this, but this is what happens. So what I'd like to say, first of all, Voltaire. You should listen to what Voltaire said. Listen, listen. It's beautiful. He stated, unless you embrace the change that happens during your life, your time, you perhaps will be left with the worst of it. So I do want to be contemporary and embrace change, but at the same time I'd like to treat my soul properly. This is the question I'd like to ask you. To you geniuses of these places. Let's see what Mark thinks of this. Do we agree that he's a genius? Do we all agree on this? Let the genius speak. But he's a genius with a soul. And having a soul is something very essential. Why should we offend a human being? When I went to school, we were and we were being teased because we're wearing peasant clothes. Why is that? Why should you offend a human being? Even if you look at someone in a particular way, you can offend someone also with your gaze. But Hadrian the emperor said, I have never met anyone who did not feel better after being paid a compliment. So why can't we re establish, restore a good relationship with each other and also be strict if needed. Also abide by the rules, obviously, so that we can be creative loving genius. But don't you feel like bumping into people that are lovable? Why don't you like that? Socrates once stated, You should not really hang out with people you do not like. I know you burst out laughing, but that's the way it is. So I was very, very pleased with the invitation to come here. And now I'd like to maybe dwell on two or three more things. It's always a nice thing to in a theater. Because in this small village where I live, I came up with the idea of building a theater, but I did not have the land to build it on. But there was this old gentleman with this great piece of land very close to the historical city center. I'll stand up because I think it's better. So. So I asked this old elderly man, will you sell the lot of land to me? And he said, I have to think about it. So I said, why don't we have dinner together? I went to have dinner at his place, and while we were eating I said, if you sell this land to me, we will build a beautiful theater on it for the next 1,000 years. And then in the evening, there's a cemetery nearby. When we are dead, we can come up from the dead and come to the theater in the evening. You see, in 200 years time or so, not every evening, because then it gets boring. At the end of the evening this elderly man said to me, you sound a bit crazy to me. I will sell the land for your theater to you. That's how we built our theater. And I think that we'll be standing there for the next 1000 years. Sometimes I go into the theater just by myself, and I act out some pieces of the divine comedy on stage. There's nobody there. That's just me on stage. It is a way somehow of talking to myself or reflecting upon things. We really need to rediscover ourselves. We have experience, experienced a time when the great ideals have dwindled, have waned. Somehow we have to go back, investing on great ideals, beautiful family, beautiful politics, spirituality or religion. Young people, they need to rediscover a way to be shown the way for the next century. I am not afraid. Around 800, the tradespeople came back to Europe from this beautiful country, America. We brought back from you potatoes, tomatoes. And just for tomatoes and potatoes, it was a great thing and we have to thank you. But Europe was scared by this new world. And it took 20, 30 years to restore the balance somehow. And you see, now it's the same. We are scared, we are frightened by the world. We parents, we tell you, next generation young people, we have hammered in you this kind of need to be afraid all the time, afraid of something. Whereas we should get rid of fear and reinstall hope. My grandfather, my father, they went through famine and dictatorship, starvation. Why should we be so scared? Today I think that a great golden century is upon us. It will be a century where we need to combine our soul and our mind. We have tried to rule mankind using our mind only. Maybe, Mark, this is not possible. I read something on your book. I actually want to say that we do need to combine our mind and our soul. Because a beautiful idea that stems from your mind and goes through your soul, it is bound to be a great idea then. Do you know another thing that we do at our company? First of all, we hold a meeting every three months. It's not really an assembly because it's just me talking, so. But we do talk about how, you know, work is going, the world is doing. And you know, these are very fascinating discussions from the human point of view too, because we do need to rediscover ourselves. We need to find a new regard and esteem for ourselves. There's once again expression by St. Augustine who stated, you should raise your gaze to the heavens. This way life will seem better to you. We need to once again raise our eyes to the heavens. We need not to turn our back on poverty. This is what I have come to testify here to discuss with a man I really hold in great regards. I say it once again. He's great business, wise. But from the human point of view, he has something more than others. An extra gear, so to speak, because of his politeness, grace and the love he has for guarding, safeguarding, mankind. My father, who is 95, he says to me often, are you sure you want to be the richest guy in the graveyard? And I say to him, you see, the graveyard is very tiny. And then Mark, he also says to me, you should remember the day works on Sundays too. So that works on Sunday. Yes, but you see, it's that's my father for you. So you are special people, you Americans. You also dress in a very special way. Because Mark is wearing a vicuna today. I think he wore it for me. You have taught the world a way of, you know, dressing in a very casual way, sober, chic way too. But now you show us another way, the way of life. I need to hear from you the way in which we can use these technologies at best. Because I think I have an inkling that we don't really know how to use these technologies properly. Maybe we also under exploit them, we should exploit them more. These items, this is pure tailorship for you. We need our iPad and our technology to design them. Use the laser beam for some specific details on each piece of clothing. So we are artisans. Yes, but also contemporary technological artisans. But there's another thing I'd like to hint at a very important thing for the luxury segment, where we belong. You see, I think that somehow the fact that everything is online, it basically results in every good being massified somehow. So we must be good at safeguarding our brand on the web and you are helping us doing that. So you might say this is a discussion between me and Mark and I'm the only one talking. Let's hear what Mark has got to say. Bye mark.

You're doing fine. Actually, Do you want, do you want me to ask you a question?

A question? You're something you're not convinced by. Please ask me.

Well, first of all, you can all see why I wanted to have Brunello Cuccinelli come here. And the reason why is because, you know, first of all, we have the opportunity to meet so many interesting people all over the world, so many interesting business executives all over the world, spiritual leaders, technology leaders, political leaders. But what's interesting about Brunello Cuccinelli is I think a lot of us, how many of you know about his clothing and his clothing stores and this type of thing. Okay. But also now maybe you can also feel how I feel whenever I'm with him. He kind of has a special feeling about him. Can you feel that also? That, yeah. You don't normally have like a spiritual feeling with like such a luxury brand. So that's my first question to you, which is whenever I'm with you, I always feel a kind of a spiritual feeling from you. And of course many of your comments this morning have also been quite spiritual. So has this always been who you are? Did you always have come from this spiritual place? And then how did you bring that into your business?

Well, thank you for this beautiful serious question. Before going into serious territory, I'd like to say that I wanted to be a monk initially. But only a part time monk, mind you.

Which part? Where did you want to be the monk and which part did you not want to be the monk?

Not possible.

Well, I can't answer that question because you can't be a part time monk. That's the answer. But I think that we need to rediscover, sort of recover the spiritual part of the human being. My parents, my grandparents, yes, they did work, but they had a more serene life than the one we have. I don't know how we can do that. But this is something we are missing, we are lacking nowadays. And then it is specifically in the spiritual side that I found comfort for my human being. A human being. For example, the relationship we have with Paolo here. The first day we met, it was business, yes, but also esteem and spirituality that were brought into the equation from day one. You see, whatever business relationship you have, if you have an issue, you can basically look at the other person in the eye, shake their hands and it can be solved. You might be smiling about this, but I want to tell you something important. In 172 after Christ, there was a genius emperor, Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor. And he's facing an important battle against the Germanic tribes. And he said to himself, tomorrow we have a battle and the whole empire is at stake. Tomorrow. What can I say to my men? How can I address them? And then he went down to the camp soldiers and he said only this. Listen, how marvelous world he chooses. Oh, my esteemed men of the Roman Empire, tomorrow Rome needs us, may God help us. He only said, oh my esteemed men, we need esteem from others. Dignity maybe comes before bread. If I give dignity to you, you will be more responsible tomorrow. As a consequence, if you are more responsible, you will be more creative in turn. Dignity engenders creativity. That's what I say. We must be, you know, more friendly, loving with each other, have a company that grows in a staggering manner. We also went public and I had some investors telling me that I was to grow my revenues by 50% a year. And I said, no, then I don't want to go public then if that's the condition. I did want to grow, obviously, but 10% only. I wanted this so called gracious growth. To target this gracious growth, I wanted a gracious profit for my company. I wanted to lead a normal life. So that's the idea. And now I'm standing beside one of the Great geniuses of mankind.

So are you saying that you weave your spirituality, you weave your spirituality into your business? The way that you kind of have woven the threads into this beautiful blazer that you're wearing, this jacket you're weaving?

Well, I think that if something is beautiful and fair, just, and it is made and manufactured without harming mankind, well, that is spiritual thing. Would you be willing to wear an item of clothing that you know that has been manufactured and they hurt mankind along the process, where employees suffered? Well, I would not be willing to wear it. I don't think that I'm a snob. I mean, I come from, you know, a farmer's background. I live in a very tiny village. But we need to start again from there, from the respect that we have for everything that we do. Because you are a guardian of the creation, you basically guard and safeguard one of the most important companies of mankind at this moment in time. And when the last day of your life comes upon you, and it will come to each and every one of you, wouldn't it be nice if someone said, he has been such a good man, What a good human being. We need good people. That's what we need. We need honest, genius, polite people. And Mark is one of them. I have never paid a compliment unless I really believed in it. You work for a beautiful company. You have organized this huge event. Yesterday, an important man from San Francisco. This event becomes, you know, ever so important, increasingly important with each passing year. So you have created something authentic and beautiful. So I departed from Italy, from Perugia, to come here and bring you some sort of mankind experience of mankind, of the dignity of labor. That's what I've come to you talk to you about. Because my father was subject to humiliation and offense. My brothers were offended and humiliated. They worked for $300 a month. Why should we offender? I do not want to do that. This has always been the dream of my lifetime.

Well, you said something, I think very powerful. And I want to kind of ask you about that. 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years ago, the Talmudic scholar Rabba said that when we die that God will ask us one question, which is, were we moral and ethical in our business? Why is it that he would ask us about our business first? Well, because so much of our life is dedicated to our business. So this is something very important. Even today, we struggle with work, life, balance. But many of us realize that is kind of a fantasy, that our life truly is quite a bit of work. So how do we tip that work to have that moral and ethical backbone so that we can feel that when we're doing our work, we're able to weave that holiness through it.

The first evening we met, that's precisely what we discussed because you mentioned the Talmud. And this is not by chance that you do that, because this is our duty in our life. This is a task because Jeremiah said that's where Jerusalem should start from, when he stated that it was the day when Nabuco Donozo basically destroyed Jerusalem, the king of Babylon. That's where we should start from. Our civilization needs to refound some great milestones. First of all, human milestones. That's what we need. And then of course, it's our work. But how can we feel like guardians? You see, there have been so many people going through earth over the millennia and we will just be guardians. And I just hope that I can leave with you some food for thought so that you can reflect upon our spiritual human condition that has become a burden for us. And my task and duty is that our 5,000 CO workers are able to work in more normal human conditions. You see, there are many people working for $1,200 a month and they go back home in the evening. They have their friends, their families, they need to cook and look after their kids. That's what we should start from. We have to rediscover this regard for the human being. And then, you know, I'm 64 years of age. Well, I try and say that I'm 55 actually. But you see, with all the information on your smartphones that you can find out everything. So you would catch me when I turned 60, I made this great decision. Our soul is immortal. And nobody's gonna change this for me. So I'd like to try and work and lead a normal life whilst respecting the human being. How many evil, truly evil people do you know? Not many. Yesterday Michelle Obama said mankind is made up of many, many good people. And I agree with her. But the difference is that now you see, you, America have always been a beacon for mankind. And you should remember that it is your moral and civil dut duty to. And then it's the boss that everything starts from the boss. Isn't it true? Because it is the boss who signs the financial statement. But you are so lucky that you have a special man here. And he's a very special man. So you are led by a leader who is not at all so bad.

Okay, thank you. Now you are also a special boss. And you have a big company, a global company. You are a B2C company, you have your own stores. You're also a B2B company. You sell through resellers as well. So I could go to a store maybe and buy your product, or I can go to your store to buy a product. You have many employees and many relationships and you also operate all over the world.

Yes.

So you've seen many different types of people and also many different types of business and different types of values as well. So when you have an issue in your own company, maybe in another country, or you hear about a customer situation in one of your stores, or an employee maybe who has taken a behavior or an action that maybe is not congruent, kind of similar to your own values, how do you think about that? And how kind of action do you take? Because of course you come across right now you're so relaxed, you're happy, gregarious, enjoying yourself, embracing life, the spirit. But I'm sure there also must be a moment when you also have to have a strong hand. Is that true?

Yes. A very interesting question. I'd like to mention a sentence that can explain it for you. Listen carefully. I can't imagine that in the world there is one single person that is similar to me, which means that we are all different. So the rules of the company are very strict. And we try and understand how people behave in a country or in another country. So much so that we have stopped using the word globalization for a time now. We try. I prefer to talk about universalism, because we do want to have a relationship, for example, with the Mongolian culture. Because what? Want to understand their culture. If I can understand where you come from, everything becomes easier. And then if somebody does not behave like she should, then they are removed. But we have never. We didn't have many cases like this, because the truth is that technology has made us all visible. Watch, you say is done, spread to everybody else. So if you want to be credible, you need to always be yourself and true and authentic every day, whatever you do. And you know what I'd like to say? The other day I thought. I thought that the true luxury of the future will be to leave a life that is unknown and concealed from our partner. That is a mobile phone, a smartphone, to lead a life apart from that. Aside from that, and this is a good remark if you think about it, we are all different to one another. We need to get to know each other and show respect and regard for all the different cultures. You are a super international company. Paolo came to us, to Perugia, and she came to listen to our needs. Such A huge large company that listens to us. And you put together for us a very, very special solution, tailor made solution for us. Which means that you couldn't be more open. Congratulations.

Now let's talk about just briefly, the importance of philanthropy and generosity and giving. Because certainly your life has not been just about business and not just about values and having the right lifestyle and living in this right way. But also you've been very generous in giving back. Of course, you mentioned in your hometown the beautiful theater that you built. But also when there was a tragedy, you were the one who really led the international response to the terrible earthquake that occurred in your area. It reminds me that tomorrow night we are also having an international response to these terrible wildfires that we had just a few miles from here. 6,000 people lost their homes. Hundreds of businesses, including schools and hospitals have been burned down. More than 100,000 people have been impacted. So tomorrow night we'll have a concert to try to raise some money to help those people. Even giving direct cash distributions to people who have lost their homes, who have now nothing. We know that when the environment goes wrong, whether it's a wildfire or an earthquake, the people who get hurt the most are the people who have the least. So how do you think about this? Because you were there when the earthquake happened in Italy, that terrible earthquake, we all watched it on international news. And tell us, how do you think about that? Why did you take such an aggressive action?

Well, first of all, I'd like to say that it was definitely a sad event. But Aristotle said something interesting about this. Even calamities have a soul alone. So let's start from this tenet. So how do you behave in a special manner. When my grandfather used to talk about this concept of fairness, the fair profit, the fair reign, that's what it meant. Profit, together with giving back. And the great topic of mankind is to find to strike a balance between profit and giving back. You have a well performing company and this gives you the opportunity to allocate part of your earnings for a gift to speak. It is the duty of every one of us. And it is not just how much, the sheer quantity. It must be something that you feel part of your culture. 2,500 years ago, in ancient Greece, people thought that everything was to be done and made for those coming after us. One last thing. Since I'm a grandfather, I have two grandchildren. When I have my two granddaughters sleeping at my place whilst they sleep, I talk to them and I say to them, you should be good girls. One is One years of age, the other is six. And I say to her, you should look after mankind. You should design and plan for those coming after you. Then my wife turns up and said, who are you talking to? With them? But they're asleep. I know, but maybe they listen. They can hear me. So what I want to tell you is that we need decent, good people, respectable people. We need true people, serious people, loving people, lovable people with a very high human factor, without any prejudice from the political, religious, spiritual or moral point of view. That's the way I lead my life. And the best expression of mankind, I think, is on tolerance. Baruch Spinoza said something about this. I have not come to the world to pass judgment on others, nor to condemn others. I've come to the world to know. So you have given me a beautiful gift, beautiful present, and it will always be part of me coming here to this charming city. Because you know, it's a beautiful city. You live in a beautiful city and you are special people. And you will run mankind for the next centuries. Don't forget your soul. May your soul always be the source of great inspiration. This is good, isn't it?

Brunello, I want to thank you so much for being here. And before we close, I think, Paolo, maybe you could just say a few words of some of your experiences with Brunello. I just want to thank you and honor you because you've been the link here. CEO. Come on up to the stage. Please welcome Paula Bergamo. Paulo, you probably know Paolo leads our mobile development initiative. He's been with Salesforce for more than a decade. He came to us through our acquisition of amazing company Sendia, which was our very first acquisition we ever made. And then I made him our ambassador to Italy. So please welcome Paolo Bergamo. Welcome, Paolo. Very nice. You don't have to kiss me. Thanks. And Paulo. Yeah, Paolo, give us some perspective, you know, what's it like, you know, you, you know, you are mostly living now in the United States. Yeah.

Just.

That's important, what just happened? So just tell us, give us some perspective. You're living mostly in the United States, but you have been working very closely with our Italian customers, including Brunello and others. What's your perspective working with Brunello Cuccinelli?

I thought I have to start with this story, Marc. The first thing that happened is that I had the fortune to sit with Brunel. And Brunello starts with this very inspiring talk and he talks about how technology is sucking the soul out of our lives and how phones is really absorbing all our energy is turning to this negative thing and so forth. And then he stops for a second and says, by the way, what do you do for Salesforce? Well, I learned. I actually ran the mobile division of Salesforce when I was. So that's how the conversation started. Let me tell you this now, in all, when you go to Solomeo, the campus Brunello built is amazing. It's in a little bit of a flat land surrounded by the hills. There's a monastery on the top hill. All the buildings have a lot of glass. Brunello wants everyone to see the beautiful nature around it. I mean, such a beautiful location. Time slows down there. You can tell people have the time to think, have the time to be creative, have the time to be connected with their soul. You can sense that the desks between the employees are yards apart. There's a sense you can be alone or you can be in a group. And Brunello did mention there's a break for lunch. It's a very long break. And then they stop at 5:30pm he created other things. He created. He did create the theater or restore the theater, I should say. And then there's, you know, libraries. And every employee is incurs is to learn history. It's clear, you know, it's a very educated person and is learning a lot from history. Probably more than everyone else here in the room. Right? I mean, you get that sense. I mean, it's an amazing experience. You go there and you learn and you absorb and you're trying to bring back as much as you can.

Well, thank you so much, Paolo, for all of your hard work, Brunello.

But I say once again, for the business side, you as Salesforce did something very, very special precisely for us because we had asked you to, you know, profile and cluster our customers in different categories so that we would not hassle people that didn't want to be hassled because we can't receive 100, 200 emails a day. And you were able to do that. You were able to divide all our customers and you are giving us a great, important result on this field. And I need to have to receive your royalties because I also speak so well about Salesforce when I travel, when I talk to other people.

Well, I'll tell you, it's been a joy getting to know you. And it all started a year and a half or almost two years ago. And I was invited to a dinner, a friend of mine, home. And actually that home has since been purchased by one of our executives, our chief of quality officers. So it was quite a coincidence. And while we were sitting there having dinner in that beautiful home, we started talking. And of course, you had two of your other executives there, and there were a few other people there. And everyone, of course, was there because they were all wearing the Brunello Cuccinelli clothes and they were such big fans of Brunello Cuccinelli.

Shopping.

And I thought I was coming just for the Italian food. So then we had an opportunity to start talking and you started to communicate some of the anxieties around technology and what was possible the transformation in your own business. And then through this amazing relationship that has been revealed over the last almost two years, it's resulted in this wonderful interview today. And also.

No, really, I do not want to talk like sponsor, but you do. You really are a special company. Let's pretend that he's not listening. You are a special company. And I mean this. It's really serious what I'm saying. So mankind is one thing, but in technology, as far as innovation goes, you are special. And I'm not acting as a sponsor here.

Well, I could not be more grateful. Thank you so much.

Grazia.

Marco.

Grazia.

Thank you. And that will be the only kissing I do at Dreamforce. And I hope that all of you have enjoyed this wonderful interval. Thank you as well to you for the wonderful translation. Thank you everyone and enjoy Dreamforce.