At FlashLabs, we are proud to share a remarkable milestone in our company’s journey: our founder and CEO, Yi Shi, has won the globally recognized “Power of One” charity lunch auction, securing a private meeting with Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff. The high-profile event, hosted by San Francisco nonprofit GLIDE, marks a new chapter in one of the world’s most iconic philanthropic traditions—previously known as the “Buffett lunch.”
This year’s auction drew global attention as Marc Benioff assumed the role previously held by Warren Buffett, continuing the legacy of using high-level business dialogue to drive real social impact. Yi Shi’s winning six-figure bid not only reflects his personal commitment to social innovation, but also represents FlashLabs’s belief in technology’s responsibility to serve the greater good.
“Meeting Warren Buffett ten years ago inspired me to think deeply about the intersection of business and purpose,” said Yi Shi. “Now, as AI enters a defining era, sitting down with Marc Benioff is more than symbolic—it’s a chance to exchange ideas on how AI can create meaningful, inclusive value for both companies and communities.”
At FlashLabs, we are building next-generation autonomous AI agents that transform how go-to-market teams operate—streamlining lead generation, omnichannel outreach, and real-time engagement entirely without human intervention. Our mission is not only to increase business efficiency but to shape a future where AI is deployed ethically, responsibly, and with long-term societal benefit in mind.
Marc Benioff’s leadership in stakeholder capitalism and his integration of philanthropy into Salesforce’s DNA make this lunch a powerful convergence of shared values. We see this moment as an opportunity to align FlashLabs’s AI innovation with broader conversations about equity, impact, and the role of emerging technologies in the world.
All proceeds from the “Power of One” lunch will go to support GLIDE’s critical services in San Francisco, including free meals, housing support, healthcare, and addiction recovery programs for underserved communities. We are honored that our company—and our leadership—can play a part in advancing this mission.
At FlashLabs, we believe that innovation is only meaningful when it’s directed toward impact. This lunch marks not just a personal milestone for our founder, but a step forward in our vision to build AI that matters.