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Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

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Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#131

I can't possibly see this going well for salesforce. Buying slack for 70x revenue is insane. Their entire market is going to be eaten by teams and google chat, if it hasn't already. Microsoft has such a gigantic advantage when it comes to enterprise productivity software because everyone is already using office. And those that aren't are on g-suite. Slack's recent guidance was horrible too.

Teams suck.

Google Chat? What’s that?

I’ll stick with Slack.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#132
post #7

This is a major win for Discord.

It's a major opportunity for them, for sure. They are still missing some features I find critical, but they really have things figured out with integrated voice/video communications in the app. The one feature I wish they'd clone from Slack are threaded replies. I know they're rolling out a new way to reply, but it still makes the chat flow messy. I really enjoyed the way Slack allows for breakout threads/replies to…

Threads are by far the worst part of using Slack. A few coworkers use them, but most do not use them. It causes lots of unnecessary clicking and keeping track of an additional place where conversation is happening.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#133
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Yes, I know Chime exists. But I don't think I've ever heard of anyone using it, and Slack is still rather popular. I think even Amazon realized how awful Chime is, given that they, as a company, switched to Slack just a few months ago.

Amazon is a big place and I can't speak for all of it, but while IT announced that slack was "available" a few months ago, I don't personally know anyone that has actually switched to using it. Everyone still uses Chime. That may just be a peculiarity of my department, but saying "Amazon as a company switched to slack" is definitely overstating what happened.

This is super org-dependent -- my entire org has completely switched to Slack, I only use Chime for meetings now (except for the occasional recruiter or someone outside my org who will ping me on Chime).

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#134
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It funny that, everywhere in my circle, people are going "damn, we need to find an alternative now". It really says something about a company that people see their name getting close as a sign they should stop using a product.

It says much more about the people saying that than anything. Salesforce is a reasonably good operating entity, I don't see any reason for Slackers to flinch. But consider that 'Slack' was a movement - literally the name, the original premise, there was a corporate/hip aspect to it. Which now it's not, just the opposite, because it's 'Salesforce'. So at least in part - 'it's not cool now'.

TBH it would be the same in case Microsoft would buy them out. Its really hard to get out of the shadow of failed products.

Products that people started hating with passion.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#135

Having gone through many corporate chat transitions, I'm curious where we are headed next or when it will circle back. We already use Salesforce products so I don't see Slack going away unless something much better comes along. MSN / AIM, IRC, Google Chat, Campfire, HipChat, Slack / Discord, ???

Don't forget Lync / Skype for Business!

I'd prefer to forget it.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#136
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It funny that, everywhere in my circle, people are going "damn, we need to find an alternative now". It really says something about a company that people see their name getting close as a sign they should stop using a product.

It says much more about the people saying that than anything. Salesforce is a reasonably good operating entity, I don't see any reason for Slackers to flinch. But consider that 'Slack' was a movement - literally the name, the original premise, there was a corporate/hip aspect to it. Which now it's not, just the opposite, because it's 'Salesforce'. So at least in part - 'it's not cool now'.

Agreed, the reactions I'm seeing here feel more more emotional than rational. (Which is totally legitimate. Emotions are a dominant factor in product "love".) If the product were to get worse, there are any number of effectively-equivalent (if not as lovable) substitutes.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#137
post #115
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely S3 is a pebble compared to Dropbox?

You're probably backwards there. Edit: in 2016 Dropbox stored 400PB ( https://dropbox.tech/infrastructure/magic-pocket-infrastruct... ), in 2018 S3 was storing multiple exabytes ( https://www.quora.com/How-big-is-Amazon-S3-across-all-region... ) I suspect multiple exabytes is a low ball.

Plus, that 400PB Dropbox was storing in 2016 was - until around that same time, when they built their Magic Pocket system - itself stored on S3.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#138
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a major opportunity for them, for sure. They are still missing some features I find critical, but they really have things figured out with integrated voice/video communications in the app. The one feature I wish they'd clone from Slack are threaded replies. I know they're rolling out a new way to reply, but it still makes the chat flow messy. I really enjoyed the way Slack allows for breakout threads/replies to…

Oh my god the absolute worst thing about slack are threads. Can we please not bring them to anything else? how do they provide any value whatsoever other than making it hard to realize someone responded to you? Signed, Someone who used IRC for decades

Completely agree, threads confuse me and feel unnecessary. One colleague uses them, but no one else and I always miss them.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#139
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It funny that, everywhere in my circle, people are going "damn, we need to find an alternative now". It really says something about a company that people see their name getting close as a sign they should stop using a product.

Is this specifically a problem with Salesforce? I think people would have this reaction with almost any company that purchases Slack. It represents a shift in focus from being a messaging company to being a piece of a bigger portfolio. That shift alone is much more important than whatever the other pieces in the portfolio happen to be.

If it had been Microsoft buying them I would have been like, well, they've done ok with GitHub so far. And I begrudgingly feel that way as someone who reviles their flagship OS and office products.

Re: Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Slack

#140
post #14

I'm somewhat surprised that Amazon didn't end up acquiring Slack, considering that the major thing they are missing compared to Microsoft is productivity tools. If they had purchased Dropbox and Slack they could've gotten a foothold rather quickly and slowed down one of Microsoft's major selling points (you already use Office, why not Azure?). Discord could be another interesting company in the chat space, as I'm sur…

Amazon would have been frustrating, but I suspect less terrible than Salesforce. What a mess.
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