Who Owns Slack Now?
Slack is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salesforce as of the latest public filings. Salesforce completed its acquisition of Slack on July 21, 2021, for approximately $27.7 billion in an all-stock transaction. Before Salesforce, Microsoft was a major investor and held a 3% stake in Slack following a $120 million funding round in 2015. Microsoft's direct ownership ended when Salesforce acquired Slack, and Slack now operates independently under Salesforce's umbrella. The company remains a separate product line within Salesforce's portfolio rather than being merged into any Microsoft service. Salesforce official acquisition announcement.
Today, Slack's parent company is Salesforce, not Microsoft. Slack's board of directors and executive leadership report to Salesforce's CEO and board. Microsoft's former stake was fully diluted and exited during the Salesforce deal. Slack's SEC filings and earnings reports now list Salesforce as the ultimate parent entity. The workspace product continues to compete directly with Microsoft Teams in the enterprise collaboration market. Slack Technologies SEC filings under Salesforce.
Did Microsoft Ever Own Slack?
Microsoft never fully owned Slack. Microsoft was an early investor and strategic partner, acquiring a minority stake in 2015. Microsoft also made an informal acquisition approach to Slack in 2013, which Slack's CEO Stewart Butterfield declined. Microsoft later built its own competing product, Microsoft Teams, launched in 2017, which directly challenged Slack in the enterprise market. Microsoft's ownership stake remained below 5% until the Salesforce acquisition closed. Forbes coverage of Salesforce Slack deal.
The Microsoft-Slack relationship shifted from investor to competitor over time. Microsoft Teams grew rapidly after launch and became the dominant communication platform in many organizations using Microsoft 365. Slack maintained its independent product identity and focused on integrations with external tools. The competitive dynamic between Slack and Microsoft Teams remains a key factor in enterprise collaboration software rankings. Slack's integration with Salesforce CRM now positions it as a customer engagement tool rather than a Microsoft ecosystem product. Forbes comparison of Microsoft Teams and Slack.
What Is Slack's Current Strategic Position?
Slack operates as a core collaboration product within Salesforce's Customer 360 platform. Salesforce integrated Slack into its CRM suite, enabling real-time communication alongside sales and service data. Slack's revenue is now reported as part of Salesforce's total earnings, with Slack contributing to Salesforce's Productivity and Engagement segment. The product competes primarily with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Chat in the unified communications market. Slack's ranking among enterprise messaging platforms remains strong, though Microsoft Teams leads in total installed base among Microsoft 365 users. Salesforce Slack product page.
Microsoft no longer holds any ownership stake in Slack, but the two products continue to compete in the same market segment. Slack's strategy focuses on workflow automation, third-party app integrations, and Salesforce CRM connectivity. Microsoft Teams' strategy centers on deep integration