Salesforce owns Slack. The company completed its $27.7 billion acquisition in July 2021, making Slack a wholly owned subsidiary inside Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform. As of fiscal year 2026, Salesforce recorded $41.5 billion in total revenue, with Slack integrated into its collaboration and AI-driven product strategy.
- Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion, closing the deal in July 2021.
- Slack reported approximately 47 million daily active users as of 2025.
- Salesforce recorded $41.5 billion in total revenue for fiscal year 2026.
- Vanguard Group holds roughly 8.5% of Salesforce shares, the largest institutional position.
- Over 750,000 organizations use Slack, with 80% of Fortune 100 companies among them.
Slack Products and Services
Slack Messaging
- Channel-based real-time messaging
- Threaded conversations and direct messages
- File sharing, audio clips, video clips
- Cross-platform (desktop, mobile, web)
Slack Connect
- Secure messaging between organizations
- Shared channels with external partners
- Contributed $260 million in 2025 revenue
- 100 million+ inter-company messages weekly
Slack Enterprise Grid
- Designed for large-scale deployments
- Compliance tools, SSO, data loss prevention
- Custom retention and eDiscovery policies
- Average contract value above $1,100/seat
Workflow Builder and Integrations
- No-code automation for routine tasks
- 2,600+ apps in the Slack App Directory
- Salesforce CRM and Einstein AI integration
- Connects with Google Workspace, Jira, Zoom
Slack AI
- AI-powered search across conversations
- Automatic channel summaries and recaps
- Thread summaries for catching up
- Built on Salesforce Einstein platform
Slack Sales Elevate
- Surfaces CRM data inside Slack channels
- Deal updates and pipeline alerts
- Built for sales teams using Salesforce
- Automates opportunity tracking workflows
Who Owns Slack
Salesforce owns 100% of Slack Technologies. The acquisition closed on July 21, 2021, after Salesforce paid $26.79 in cash plus 0.0776 Salesforce shares for each Slack share. Slack ceased trading on the NYSE under the ticker WORK and became part of Salesforce’s integration and analytics division.
Ownership of Slack today is indirect. Anyone holding Salesforce (CRM) stock effectively owns a proportional slice of Slack. The largest institutional holders of Salesforce are Vanguard Group (~8.5%), BlackRock (~7.2%), and State Street (~4.5%), according to 2025 filings.
Slack’s Origin, Founders and Early Years
Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson, and Serguei Mourachov founded Slack. The four had previously worked together at Ludicorp, the company behind photo-sharing platform Flickr, which Yahoo acquired in 2005.
In 2009 they started Tiny Speck to build a multiplayer game called Glitch. The game failed commercially, but the internal communication tool the team built during development became Slack. The company pivoted in 2013 and launched Slack as a standalone product.
Accel and Andreessen Horowitz led a $5 million Series A round, each taking roughly 10–15% minority stakes. Butterfield held the largest individual position as CEO. A generous employee stock option pool helped the company recruit engineering talent during rapid growth.
Largest Shareholders of Slack
Vanguard Group
- ~8.5% of Salesforce shares
- Largest institutional holder
- Passive index fund exposure
- Indirect ownership of Slack
BlackRock
- ~7.2% of Salesforce shares
- Second-largest institutional holder
- Holds through iShares ETFs and mutual funds
- Voting influence on Salesforce governance
State Street Corporation
- ~4.5% of Salesforce shares
- Third-largest institutional holder
- Holdings tied to SPDR ETFs
- Cross-holdings across tech sector
Marc Benioff
- Salesforce founder, Chairman and CEO
- Holds direct Salesforce equity stake
- Controls strategic direction of Slack
- Oversaw $27.7B acquisition decision
How Did Slack Get Its Name?
Slack stands for “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.” Stewart Butterfield and his team coined the acronym in 2013 during the pivot from Glitch, their failed online game. The name reflected the tool’s core function: storing and indexing every message, file, and exchange so teams could retrieve information quickly.
The word “slack” also carries an informal, approachable tone that fit the product’s personality. Unlike stiff enterprise software names common at the time, Slack sounded casual and accessible. The branding matched the product experience, which favored emoji reactions, custom status messages, and colorful themes over corporate formality.
Before settling on Slack, the team used the working name “linefeed” internally. They changed it because they wanted something shorter and easier to remember. The acronym stuck, and the product launched publicly in February 2014 under that name. Within a year, Slack had over a million daily active users, and the name had become synonymous with workplace chat. Competing platforms like Discord and Microsoft Teams would later target similar audiences.
Slack’s Mission Statement
Slack’s stated mission is to “make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.” The company has used this line consistently since its early years, and it doubles as an informal slogan across its marketing and product pages.
The word “simpler” points to Slack’s design goal of consolidating scattered communications into one searchable place. Before Slack, many teams split conversations across email threads, text messages, and separate project tools. Slack collapsed those into channels organized by topic, project, or team.
“Pleasant” speaks to the user experience itself. Slack invests in small design touches, including custom emoji, animated reactions, and a notification system built around user control. The interface was designed to feel conversational rather than transactional, similar to how consumer apps work compared to legacy enterprise tools.
“Productive” ties directly to Slack’s integration layer. With over 2,600 apps in its directory, Slack lets teams pull data from tools like Google Workspace, Jira, and Salesforce CRM without leaving the chat window. Under Salesforce, this third pillar has expanded to include AI-powered features such as automatic conversation summaries and CRM-linked deal alerts.
Slack Board of Directors and Governance
After the acquisition, Slack’s standalone board dissolved. Governance now falls under the Salesforce Board of Directors.
Marc Benioff
Founded Salesforce in 1999. Oversaw the Slack acquisition and integration. Holds final authority on strategic direction for Slack within Salesforce.
Robin Washington
Chairs the independent board oversight function. Previously served as CFO of Gilead Sciences. Led internal town halls on governance and culture in 2026.
Denise Dresser
Runs day-to-day Slack operations. Reports into the Salesforce executive committee. Took over after Stewart Butterfield departed in late 2022.
Parker Harris
Wrote the original Salesforce code. Continues to advise on platform architecture and product integration between Slack and Salesforce clouds.
Institutional Voting Bloc
These holders collectively influence corporate resolutions. Elliott’s activist pressure in 2024–2025 drove margin-focused restructuring and workforce adjustments at Slack.
FAQ
What is the net worth of Slack?
Salesforce acquired Slack at a $27.7 billion valuation in 2021. Slack no longer trades independently, so its current standalone worth is not publicly reported. Salesforce’s total market cap stood near $153 billion as of May 2026.
Is Slack an American company?
Yes. Slack Technologies was incorporated in the United States and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It now operates as a subsidiary of Salesforce, also an American company.
When did Slack launch?
Slack launched in August 2013 as a preview release and opened to the public in February 2014. Within its first day of public availability, 8,000 companies signed up.
Who owns Slack?
Salesforce owns Slack. The $27.7 billion acquisition closed in July 2021. Slack operates as a wholly owned subsidiary. Its largest indirect shareholders are Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street through their Salesforce equity holdings.
What is Salesforce’s market cap in 2026?
Salesforce’s market capitalization ranged between $148 billion and $186 billion through early 2026, varying with stock price movements. Fiscal year 2026 revenue reached $41.5 billion.
