About Stewart Butterfield
Stewart Butterfield is a Canadian entrepreneur and technologist best known as the co-founder of two highly influential internet companies: the photo-sharing service Flickr and the business messaging platform Slack. He served as the CEO of Slack until January 2023, after leading the company to a $27.7 billion acquisition by Salesforce. Butterfield is recognized for his design-focused approach and ability to turn initial project failures into billion-dollar successes.
Career
CEO & Co-founder
You know in cartoons when they run off a cliff but they don't fall until they look down? I am trying not to look down!
General Manager, Flickr / Senior Director of Product Management
General Manager, Flickr / Senior Director of Product Management
CEO & Co-founder
Ludicorp made Flickr and got bought by Yahoo. I was responsible for finance, product direction and talking to lawyers.
Managing Director and Company Secretary
Co-wrote business plan, raised investment capital and took part in negotiating Gradfinder's acquisition by Highwired.com with a healthy profit for investors and employees — all after black April 2000.
Redesigned crucial areas of the site, resulting in a 95% increase in the conversion rate and a stop to falling monthly page views per user.
Director of the Design Group at Communicate.com
Directed the design group of, at the time, the largest design + development shop in Vancouver. Acted as design lead or directly managed several million dollars worth of projects. Played a key role in business development and recruiting efforts; as well as in managing the company's rapid growth (including 100% employee growth — from 30 to 60 — and tripling revenue in one six month period).
Education
MPhil
MPhil - Philosophy
BA (Hons.)
BA (Hons.) - Philosophy
N/A
Skills
Core technical and professional competencies derived from co-founding two billion-dollar companies, Flickr and Slack.
Product Management
User Interface Design
Interaction Design
Web Applications
Mobile Applications
Scalability
Web Development
Start-ups
Entrepreneurship
Business Development
Monetization
Strategic Partnerships
Angel Investing
E-commerce
Leadership
Team Management
Digital Strategy
Content Strategy
User Research
Social Networking
Community Building
Domains
Enterprise Software, Business Communication, Social Media, Photo Sharing
Technology Startups, Digital Media, Web 2.0, E-commerce
Tags
Visionary, Entrepreneurial, Design-Focused, Technologist, Thought Leader
Product-Led Growth, Human Interaction, Community Building, Strategic Positioning
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Frequently Asked Questions
A summary of Stewart Butterfield's career focusing on his role as the co-founder of Flickr and former CEO of Slack, including the company's $27.7 billion acquisition.
When did Stewart Butterfield leave Slack?
What was Slack's acquisition value by Salesforce?
Slack was acquired by Salesforce in 2021 for a reported value of $27.7 billion, marking one of the largest software acquisitions.
Did Stewart Butterfield also co-found Flickr?
Yes, he co-founded the photo-sharing service Flickr in 2004, which was later acquired by Yahoo! in 2005.
Where did Stewart Butterfield attend university?
He holds a B.A. from the University of Victoria and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge.
How many major companies did he co-found?
Stewart Butterfield co-founded two highly influential internet companies: the photo-sharing service Flickr and the business messaging platform Slack.