While Their Partnership Is New, IBM Influenced Salesforce's Core Values

IBM and Salesforce share 5,000 common customers, the CEOs noted.

Only in the past year, however, did they begin advancing a partnership centered around their respective artificial intelligence platforms, Watson and Einstein.

"IBM's core values have influenced many companies, including ours," Benioff told Rometty. Big Blue has always prioritized a mission of doing what's good for society, and Salesforce's founders took that lesson to heart.

"With values, it's what you do when no one's looking," Rometty added.