Fans line up to see former President Obama speak at Salesforce's Dreamforce conference

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Dreamforce had some extra star power Thursday as Barack Obama joined Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff for a fireside chat on life and leadership.

"It was just completely electric," said Oakland resident Kirsten Lundgren. "I think especially given the climate currently, just to see that example embodied of leadership and humility and groundedness."

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The former president of the United States revealed some of the advice he gave to his daughters: be kind and be useful.

"Him and Marc also spoke about how he has this wonderful gift of looking for leaders of leaders, to lead future leaders, and how that just drives future change," said Pleasant Hill resident Kiki Damjanoska.

Of the 171,000 people registered for the conference, just under 8,000 were able to snag a seat for the keynote. Crowds started lining up at 2:45am, with many waiting hours in line for the 10:30am event.

"Really having a meaningful conversation around values, around the importance of values in your company, in your culture, in your communities," said Salesforce Senior Vice President Jody Koener.

Obama also focused on young people, saying there's a "sense that regardless of our surface differences, there's a core humanity and dignity to each of us that has to be shared and respected." He also said that climate change in the top issue facing the next generation.

"The key tidbit that I got from Obama is that we can't wait for others to do things for us," said Menlo Park resident Patty Yanamandra. "We can control a lot of things in our communities."

Taking a more serious turn, the former president worried aloud that technology was leading society astray and said: "Part of solving big problems is not a just a matter of finding a technical solution, but also figuring out, 'how do we restore some sense of our common values?'"

"I'm walking away with feelings of just hope and general gratitude for having the opportunity to be there today," said Oakland resident Sergio Rosas.

Dreamforce wraps up Friday afternoon at the Moscone Center.

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