DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How former Slack and Twitter executive April Underwood used angel investing to create a career in venture capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Leena Rao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That entrepreneurial, technology-focused spirit has driven Underwood to an illustrious career at some of the industry's biggest companies, including Google, X, Slack, and Intel. As she built products at these tech giants, Underwood quietly invested in over 50 startups, including the genetics-testing unicorn Color and the cap-table giant Carta. Underwood began investing while at X, then called Twitter, where she was the company's director of product. Shortly after, #Angels was born, the investment collective cofounded by Underwood, Verrilli, Jana Messerschmidt, Chloe Sladden, Katie Stanton, and Vijaya Gadde. Since 2015, the group has backed over 100 startups, including Forward, Clubhouse, Instacart, Material Security, and Airtable.

Persons: Underwood, she'd, Slack, Jessica Verrilli, who'd, Stewart Butterfield, Cal Henderson, Ev Williams, Jack Dorsey, Verrilli, Jana Messerschmidt, Chloe Sladden, Katie Stanton, Vijaya Gadde, you've, I've, they've Organizations: Amarillo College, Business, Google, Intel, GV, Cue, Twitter, Health, Security, Slack Locations: Amarillo , Texas, Amarillo, Termina, San Francisco

☆ A second person has been accused in the abduction of Mint Butterfield, child of Slack and Flicker founders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Charges were filed in the disappearance of Mint Butterfield, naming a second person. Butterfield was found after six days of missing in San Francisco. AdvertisementA second person is facing charges over the disappearance of Mint Butterfield, the teen child of two tech founders. They are the only child of Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, who cofounded Flickr together in 2004. Stewart Butterfield also cofounded Slack and is worth around $1.6 billion, according to Forbes .

Persons: Mint Butterfield, Butterfield, —, Caterina Fake, Stewart Butterfield, Slack Organizations: Mint, Service, Forbes, Business Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco's Tenderloin

☆ A man was arrested after Mint Butterfield, whose dad cofounded Slack and mom cofounded Flickr, was found in the back of a van
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Butterfield's parents cofounded Flickr, and their father later cofounded Slack. Their parents, Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, cofounded Flickr in 2004, and Stewart Butterfield went on to cofound Slack. Their disappearance resulted in an extensive search effort in Tenderloin, an area in San Francisco known for homelessness, crime, and drugs. Butterfield's parents, Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, were married from 2001 until 2007, the New York Post reported. Stewart Butterfield cofounded Slack in 2013 with Cal Henderson.

Persons: Butterfield, Slack, —, Mint Butterfield, Caterina Fake, Stewart Butterfield, cofound Slack, Christopher, Kio, Dizefalo, Adam Schermerhorn, Schermerhorn, Jyri Engeström, Cal Henderson Organizations: Flickr, Service, Saturday, Police, Marin County Sheriff's, San Francisco, Office, New York Post, Yahoo Locations: San Francisco, Tenderloin, Marin County, Marin

☆ Mint Butterfield, teen whose dad cofounded Slack and mom cofounded Flickr, found safe, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Mint Butterfield, whose parents are major tech founders, was found safe, police said. Butterfield's parents cofounded Flickr, and their father later cofounded Slack. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Their parents, Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, cofounded Flickr in 2004, and Stewart Butterfield went on to confound Slack.

Persons: Butterfield, Slack, —, Sunday . Mint Butterfield, Caterina Fake, Stewart Butterfield, confound Slack, Butterfield's, Jyri Organizations: Flickr, Service, Sunday . Mint, San Francisco Police, Business Locations: California, Bolinas

☆ Zoom and Salesforce stand to benefit from Microsoft's unbundling of Teams and Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft's rivals won a reprieve on Monday, when the software giant said it would split up its Teams and Office bundles following scrutiny from European regulators. Analysts at Mizuho Securities wrote in a note on Monday that "while customers believe Zoom is a superior platform vs. Teams" and other vendors, "the bundling of MS Teams to Office 365 has always been enticing for customers to consider Teams." Last year, Microsoft generated almost $53 billion in revenue from Office, including Teams, up about 14% from 2022. Months later, the European Commission disclosed a probe into Microsoft's Teams and Office bundling.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Slack, Satya Nadella, Salesforce, David Schellhase, Slack's, Stewart Butterfield Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, Economic, Salesforce, European Commission, Mizuho Securities, Mizuho, Microsoft, Financial Times, European Union, Microsoft's, CNBC, European Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Europe

☆ Salesforce's behind-the-scenes co-founder is tackling Slack as software company turns 25
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

"The V2MOM had nothing about generative AI," Parker Harris, who co-founded the company with Benioff, told CNBC in an interview. Harris, a Salesforce board member and now the technology chief of Slack, which Salesforce bought in 2021, said he'd rather avoid the limelight. Without the Data Cloud, Harris told CNBC, "I think we would have been in a much worse place." He told Benioff he'd redo the plan, the person said. They'll be talking more frequently, as Harris said they're about to kick off weekly meetings on Slack and Salesforce integrations.

Persons: Parker Harris, Marlena Sloss, Marc Benioff, ChatGPT, Benioff, Salesforce, Harris, Slack, he'd, Sam Altman, Noah Berger, Robin, Batman, Frank Dominguez, Dave Moellenhoff, Bobby Yazdani, Larry Ellison, Yazdani, Dominguez, Brett Queener, who's, Queener, Salesforce.com, He's, Ruth Asawa, Josef Albers, Miles Davis, Donald Trump, Jason Alden, Marc, Kara Swisher, David Paul Morris, Adam Selipsky, it's, Stewart Butterfield, Lidiane Jones, Cal Henderson, Benioff's, Parker, Noah Weiss, Denise Dresser, Weiss, Parker Harris emoji, They'll, Salesforce integrations, Stefan Slowinski Organizations: Salesforce, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Google, Microsoft, Middlebury College, Apple, San, San Francisco Bay Area, Metropolis Software, Software, Saba Software, Oracle, San Francisco's Telegraph, YouTube, Facebook, Economic, Salesforce.com Inc, Web, VMware, Employees Locations: San Francisco, Silicon Valley, English, Vermont, North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Moellenhoff, Kincaid's, Burlingame, San Francisco's, Salesforce, France, Italy, Nantucket, San, Pacific, Davos, Switzerland, Cliff, New York, Las Vegas, Hawaii

☆ Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones poaches top Slack talent to build a new leadership team
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewNew Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones has hired at least three high-level employees from Slack, where she had been chief executive for about a year until joining the dating app company in January. chief product officer Ali Rayl, chief people officer David Ard, and vice president of global communications Gabrielle Ferree. Rayl, who until recently served as Slack's senior vice president of product, had been at the workplace messaging app for over 11 years. Ard had served as its senior vice president of employee success, while Ferree was its senior communications director. AdvertisementJones, then an executive vice president at Slack parent Salesforce, replaced Butterfield as CEO of Slack in January 2023.

Persons: —, Lidiane Jones, Bumble, Jones, Ali Rayl, David Ard, Gabrielle Ferree, Ard, Ferree, Slack, Jones's, Stewart Butterfield, Slack's, Tamar Yehoshua, Jonathan Prince, Butterfield, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Denise Dresser, Cal Henderson, Fortune, Parker Harris, Salesforce, MuleSoft, Antoine Leblond, Selby Drummond, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Service, Slack, Business, Elliott Management, Sonos, Microsoft Locations: ethomas@insider.com

☆ Slack names longtime Salesforce executive Denise Dresser as new CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Denise Dresser, a longtime Salesforce exec, will become the new CEO of Slack. AdvertisementAdvertisementSalesforce CEO Marc Benioff said Monday that Slack had named Denise Dresser as its next chief executive. Dresser, who has worked for Salesforce for 12 years, is president of accelerated industries at Salesforce. Salesforce said in August that its chief people officer, Brent Hyder, would leave to "pursue a new opportunity." To contact Ellen Thomas with insight or information about Slack or Salesforce, reach out at ethomas@insider.com or call/text (646) 847-9416 using the encrypted-messaging app Signal.

Persons: Denise Dresser, Slack, Lidiane Jones, Marc Benioff, —, She'll, who's, Dresser, Denise, Benioff, Jones, Whitney Wolfe, Stewart Butterfield, Bret Taylor, Mark Nelson, Gavin Patterson, Ebony Beckwith, Salesforce, Brent Hyder, Salesforce's, Vikram Rao, Ariel Kelman, Oracle's, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Bumble Inc, Service, Salesforce, Elliott Management Locations: Salesforce

☆ Salesforce appoints longtime executive Denise Dresser as Slack CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Longtime Salesforce executive Denise Dresser has been appointed CEO of Slack, Salesforce co-founder and chief executive Marc Benioff announced Monday. Dresser becomes the third CEO of the Salesforce unit since it was acquired by Salesforce in 2020. She has been a Salesforce executive for more than 12 years, according to her company biography and LinkedIn profile, most recently as president of accelerated industries. Dresser will take the top job at Slack after its most recent CEO, Lidiane Jones, accepted the chief executive role at dating app Bumble earlier this month. Most notably, Slack founder Stewart Butterfield and Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor departed in the span of two weeks in December 2022.

Persons: Technology Denise Holland Dresser, Casey Hurbis, Shilpa Sharma, Denise Dresser, Slack, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, Dresser, Lidiane Jones, Jones, Bumble, Whitney Wolfe, Benioff, Denise, Arthur Andersen, Stewart Butterfield, Bret Taylor, Butterfield, — CNBC's Ari Levy, Jordan Novet Organizations: Communications, Media, Technology, Rocket, Boston Consulting, Salesforce, CNBC, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Oracle, Big Locations: Beverly Hills , California, Salesforce

☆ Salesforce isn't planning another 'major' round of layoffs and is hiring for critical roles, it says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Marc Benioff says he's got no plans for another big round of cuts and hopes layoffs are done. So on this week's call, Benioff took time to thank and wax poetic on all the former Salesforce employees who returned to work at the company during its turnaround effort. Former chief business officer Ebony Beckwith, a longtime executive who led the company's philanthropic foundation, quietly exited Salesforce in June. "We're ramping up hiring for critical roles," a spokesperson for Salesforce wrote to Insider via email when asked for clarification on Benioff's comments. At the same time, if former and current Salesforce employees are feeling whiplashed — told to leave and then told to come back — it's because the message coming from the top is mixed.

Persons: Marc Benioff, he's, Salesforce, Benioff, we've, It's, Ariel Kelman, Benioff's, Bret Taylor, Slack, Stewart Butterfield, Mark Nelson, Brent Hyder, Ebony Beckwith, Salespeople, Karl Keirstad, we're, whiplashed —, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Oracle, UBS, ethomas Locations: Salesforce

☆ Truth Behind Tech Industry's Fake Work Problem: Bad Managers, Bosses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Hugh Langley | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The tech employees spoke with us on the condition of anonymity to avoid professional reprisal. There's only one real culprit for the culture of "fake work," he said. The latest version of fake work emerged as part of the tech industry's pandemic-driven boom and bust. "I think COVID was an accelerator for fake work because a lot of these tech companies hired. As for Graham, he's since moved to another tech company, where he said he felt his contributions were more valued.

Persons: Graham, wouldn't, Keith Rabois, Rabois, Brit Levy, Scott Latham, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Brent Peterson, Gaylan Nielson, Rich Moran, " Moran, Melina Mara, he'd, Moran, Anna Tavis, Stewart Butterfield, Bloomberg's, LINDSEY WASSON, it's, Salesforce, What's, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Zuckerberg, Brad Glasser, Meta, Greg Selker, Stanton Chase, Jessica Kennedy, Kennedy, NYU's Tavis, Hugh Langley, Grace Kay Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, Big Tech, Google, University of Massachusetts, Washington, Getty, Meta, Microsoft, overhiring, New York University's School, Professional Studies, Slack, Command, Bloomberg, Vanderbilt University, Companies Locations: New, Salesforce, he's

☆ Salesforce insiders say that by wooing back former execs, Marc Benioff may finally feel comfortable enough to loosen his grip
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has been wooing back former executives for years. Insiders say that those that know Benioff best may get him to loosen his grip. Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff has spent years wooing former executives back to the company. Benioff has surrounded himself with people "that know how Salesforce works and know how Benioff works" one former exec explained. With all of that new blood from aquisitions washed away, Benioff seems to think Salesforce can move forward by going back.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Brian Millham, Millham, Salesforce, Benioff, he's, Miguel Milano, Ariel Kelman, Kendall Collins, Steve Fisher, Dave Moellenhoff, Jim Steele, Clara Shih, Marc, —, Larry Ellison, Benioff's, Keith Block, Bret Taylor, Slack, Stewart Butterfield, Mark Nelson, Julie Bort Organizations: Oracle, Twitter Locations: Salesforce

☆ Benioff vs. Benioff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

Within Salesforce, Benioff riffs are at times met with backlash from an angry workforce. "You're not going to fire your family during times of need," a former Salesforce executive told Insider. "I don't think they understand Ohana," Benioff told Insider. "Look, we have to be the example of stakeholder capitalism," Benioff told Insider. A 'New Day' at Salesforce"I use the Japanese principle of shoshin, beginner's mind," Benioff told Insider in a phone interview in March.

☆ Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says that this is a 'New Day' for Salesforce, focusing on profitability above its famous 'Ohana' mantra
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As Salesforce faces activist investor pressure, profitability is now CEO Marc Benioff's key focus. Benioff is now touting a strategy called "New Day," focused solely on profitability and efficiency. Instead, those execs hammered on that "New Day" strategy, which emphasizes profitability and efficiency over all else. The company's recent layoffs, as well as Benioff's comments that employees haven't been as productive since the start of the pandemic, have weighed on employee morale. Former co-CEO Bret Taylor and other top execs like Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield have also departed Salesforce in recent months.

☆ There are growing expectations that Salesforce is readying a succession plan to appease activist investors. 'There's not a lot of people sitting on the bench,' one analyst said.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Ellen Thomas | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Analyst said any succession plan would be about giving investors "comfort" about the future. Company insiders, former employees and Wall Street analysts increasingly expect Salesforce to put a succession plan in place soon. 'If he's willing to work with the activists, then he can stay CEO'Analysts think that if a succession plan is announced soon, it won't include Benioff's immediate exit. "Benioff is Salesforce and Salesforce is Benioff," said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. Bret Taylor, former Salesforce executive SalesforceTaylor's departure in late November left Salesforce with a limited bench of potential successors.

☆ Silicon Valley’s Newest ‘It’ Couple Is Going Big on Real Estate. Here’s How They’ve Spent $140 Million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Katherine Clarke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

They are one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent power couples. He is the co-founder of Slack, the messaging app that has helped redefine workplace communication and that was acquired by Salesforce in July 2021 for $27.7 billion. She is the co-founder and chief executive of Away, the trendy luggage manufacturer and retailer that was valued at $1.4 billion in a funding round in 2019. Now, Stewart Butterfield and Jen Rubio are developing a reputation outside of Silicon Valley circles—as collectors of trophy homes.

☆ Silicon Valley’s Newest ‘It’ Couple Is Going Big on Real Estate. Here’s How They’ve Spent $140 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Katherine Clarke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ The 10 companies that produce the most startup founders, including Bain, McKinsey, and Sony
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Working for a major tech company or consulting firm can be a launching pad for your startup. An analysis of LinkedIn data identified the US companies that produced the most founders. The small-business-lending platform OnDeck analyzed 228,000 LinkedIn career histories to identify which US companies produced the most founders in former employees. Meanwhile, tech companies are the second-highest generator of founders. Here are the top 10 companies that have produced the most founders.

☆ Cowen downgrades Salesforce as company adjusts to a slower growth era
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The outlook looks foggy for Salesforce as the software giant adjusts to a new normal after years of record growth, according to Cowen. "With several recent exec departures & a major restructuring underway, we expect to see elevated levels of disruption risk," Wood wrote. The company also announced late last year the departure of co-CEO Bret Taylor and Slack founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield . Woods trimmed Cowen's price target on Salesforce to $160 from $175 a share, reflecting just 9% upside from Thursday's close. "After a long cycle of high growth through both organic & inorganic efforts, Salesforce has reached greater market penetration and is entering a more mature growth phase," Wood wrote.

☆ Salesforce's Marc Benioff joked 'Did I miss something?' after arriving late to a meeting the day after laying-off 8,000 staff, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marc Benioff showed up 15 minutes late to an all-company meeting after layoffs, per The Times of London. The Times reports that Salesforce's CEO then upset many employees by joking: "Did I miss something?" Insider previously reported how staff expressed anger at Benioff, saying he dodged questions about layoffs. In an email to staff, Benioff said: "As our revenue accelerated through the pandemic, we hired too many people leading into this economic downturn we're now facing, and I take responsibility for that." The company is also reportedly considering laying-off a further 10% of staff depending on financial performance.

☆ Salesforce Customers Not Swayed by Slack, Analysts Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Salesforce reported about $402 million in Slack subscription and support revenue in the fiscal third quarter ending Oct. 31. Meanwhile, on Wednesday Salesforce said it would lay off 10% of its workforce as customers take a more cautious approach to spending. “The Slack acquisition by Salesforce has not changed the trajectory of Salesforce up or down,” said Tim Crawford, CIO strategic adviser at Los Angeles-based enterprise IT advisory firm AVOA. “That’s really the struggle for customers, to maintain the pace with a company like Salesforce,” he said. Forrester’s Ms. Herbert said the recent departures of Mr. Taylor and the Slack executives might signal that Salesforce is shifting the focus back to its core products.

☆ Slack is cutting 10% of its product and engineering org 18 months after Salesforce spent $27.7 billion to acquire it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce has targeted Slack's product and engineering organization for layoffs, sources tell Insider. Slack is laying off 10% of its product and engineering organization, according to two people familiar with the matter. Yet some Salesforce managers, even senior managers and senior vice presidents, were blindsided yesterday as they had no forewarning when the layoffs would commence, Salesforce employees told Insider. In five Slack exchanges viewed by Insider, managers told direct reports they had learned of the layoffs from Benioff's company-wide email. Insider confirmed that roughly 1,000 Salesforce employees were notified on Wednesday of their terminations.

☆ Salesforce managers were blindsided by news of layoffs, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Ellen Thomas | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some senior managers learned of the cuts at the same time as rank-and-file staffers. Some Salesforce managers, even those with senior titles, were blindsided by the company's layoff plans when they commenced on Wednesday, according to internal Slack messages viewed by Insider. Slack messages viewed by Insider were sent by managers ranging from senior manager to vice president level. Salesforce laid off around 1,000 employees this week in an initial round of job cuts, insiders say. Insider reported in December that some Salesforce managers were being asked to identify their bottom 10% of performers.

☆ Salesforce is cutting 10% of its personnel, more than 7,000 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Salesforce is cutting 10% of its personnel and reducing some office space as part of a restructuring plan, the company announced Wednesday. Days later, the company announced the departure of Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield, who joined Salesforce as part of its biggest acquisition ever. Now, like many other major tech companies, Salesforce is looking to cut costs as it contends with slowing revenue growth and a weakening economy. Amazon, Lyft, HP and DoorDash also announced significant cuts to their workforces. Salesforce said it expects its employee restructuring to be complete by the end of fiscal 2024, and its real estate restructuring to be complete by fiscal 2026.

☆ Marc Benioff tells Salesforce workers that new employees are 'facing lower productivity'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff told employees in a Slack message on Friday that the company's newest hires aren't being productive enough, and he asked for feedback as to why that's the case. Last year, Salesforce acquired communications app Slack, and Benioff said people can work very effectively from their homes. On Friday he highlighted an issue that he said was affecting employees who joined Salesforce this year and last. Here's the full text of Benioff's Slack post:How do we increase the productivity of our employees at salesforce? New employees (hired during the pandemic in 2021 & 2022) are especially facing much lower productivity.

Search resuls for: "Stewart Butterfield"

25 mentions found