Slack: from being born out of necessity to becoming a platform that competes against Microsoft Teams

Slack is a communication platform that has revolutionized the way companies collaborate. Its history is quite interesting, as it started as a side project of a video game company.

In 2009, Stewart Butterfield and his team founded Tiny Speck with the idea of ​​creating an online game called Glitch. During the development of the game, the team needed a better way to communicate, so they created an internal chat tool.

When Glitch failed to catch on and was shut down in 2012, Butterfield and his team realized their communications tool had great potential.

So in August 2013, they launched Slack, which stands out most for its organization into channels, its search capacity, and its integration with other applications.The name Slack is an acronym that stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge —Searchable Record of All Conversation and Knowledge—, making its goals very clear.

How Slack works and its main functions

In essence, the platform functions as a large digital workspace where teams can collaborate, share information and stay connected in real time.

The heart of Slack is channels, virtual spaces dedicated to specific topics, projects or teams.These channels act as the central hub for communication, allowing users to share messages, files, and collaborate in an organized manner. Channels can be public, accessible to all members of the workspace, or private, limited to a specific group of participants.

On the other hand, it should be noted that messaging in Slack goes beyond simple text. Users can add emojis, GIFs and mentions, making conversations more expressive and closer to face-to-face reality. In addition, the threading function allows for secondary discussions without cluttering the main channel.

One of Slack’s most powerful features is its integration capabilities. With over 2,200 apps available, Slack becomes a control center for multiple work tools.

Whether it’s Trello for project management, Google Drive for file storage, or Zoom for video calls, everything can be centralized in Slackgreatly simplifying the workflow.

Slack’s search is also worth a special mention. With its powerful search engine, users can quickly find messages, files or previous conversations, turning Slack into an absolute brain, which, if you add the filters it has, is even better.

On this platform you will also find tools for task management and reminders. Slackbot, a built-in virtual assistant, can set up custom reminderswhile integrations with project management tools allow you to assign and track tasks directly from the platform.

Security and administration are a big focus at Slack. Admins have complete control over permissions and access, ensuring that private information is protected. Additionally, Slack offers compliance features to help businesses adhere to regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.

Recently, Slack has gone a step further with the arrival of artificial intelligenceThis new feature uses AI to improve search, generate summaries of channels and conversations, and help users find information and complete tasks more easily.

This is how it has evolved compared to the competition

Despite its great features, the competitive landscape has changed in recent years. Microsoft, recognizing the threat Slack posed to its dominance in enterprise software, launched Teams in 2017.which has grown at lightning speed, taking advantage of Microsoft Office’s large user base and its integration with other Microsoft 365 tools.

Salesforce’s acquisition of Slack in 2021 for $27.7 billion was precisely a strategic move that has strengthened its position after the arrival of Teams. This purchase has provided Slack with extra resources to innovate and compete.

Despite this, Slack has maintained its relevant position and remains a highly-considered option for businesses. In 2024, while it does not lead the market in terms of total number of users — that honor belongs to Microsoft Teams — Slack remains a highly respected and used platform, especially in certain niches such as tech companies and startups.

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Tags: Smartphones, Microsoft, Computers, Work, Apps