Famous Quote
“Life is too short to do mediocre work.”
Why #44
Butterfield built two iconic products (Flickr and Slack) from the wreckage of two failed video games. Slack's $27.7B acquisition proved that workplace communication is one of the largest markets in software.
The Story
Stewart Butterfield founded two iconic companies — Flickr and Slack — and both emerged from the ashes of failed video game projects. Flickr came from Game Neverending, and Slack came from Glitch. Butterfield's ability to recognize when a side feature of a failing project is more valuable than the project itself is one of the great entrepreneurial instincts in tech history.
Slack launched in 2013 as an internal communication tool and grew into the default workplace messaging platform, reaching 12M+ daily active users and transforming how teams communicate. The name is an acronym: 'Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.' Slack went public in 2019 via direct listing and was acquired by Salesforce for $27.7B in 2021 — one of the largest enterprise software acquisitions ever.
Flickr, his first accidental company, was one of the first major Web 2.0 companies and pioneered concepts like tagging, social photo sharing, and community-driven content that influenced Instagram, Pinterest, and every social platform that followed. Yahoo acquired Flickr in 2005 and then famously mismanaged it into irrelevance, but Flickr's DNA is in every photo-sharing app that exists today.
Key Achievements
Founded Slack (2013) — transformed workplace communication
Slack acquired by Salesforce for $27.7B (2021)
Co-founded Flickr — pioneered social photo sharing
Built Slack to 12M+ daily active users
Pioneered direct listing IPO strategy for Slack (2019)
Created two iconic products from two failed video game projects
By the Numbers
$27.7B
Slack Acquisition
12M+
Slack Daily Users
1.5B+
Slack Messages/Day
2 → 2 Billion$ Companies
Failed Games
Fun Facts
Both Flickr and Slack were accidental products — they were features of video games that never shipped.
The video game that became Slack was called 'Glitch' — a whimsical MMO that was too weird for the market.
He has a master's degree in philosophy from Cambridge University.
He grew up in a remote area of British Columbia that had no electricity — his family lived in a log cabin.
Slack's iconic '#' logo and colorful design were inspired by his belief that enterprise software should be fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the greatest entrepreneurs of all time?
The greatest entrepreneurs include Steve Jobs (Apple), Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Bill Gates (Microsoft), and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta). Each built companies that fundamentally changed how the world works — from personal computing and smartphones to e-commerce, cloud computing, and social media.
What makes someone a successful entrepreneur?
Successful entrepreneurs share several traits: the ability to identify unmet needs, willingness to take calculated risks, relentless execution, and resilience in the face of failure. They combine vision with practical problem-solving and are willing to persist long after most people would quit. Capital and credentials matter far less than most people think — resourcefulness beats resources.
Can you become an entrepreneur without a business degree?
Absolutely. Many of the greatest entrepreneurs had no business education. Steve Jobs dropped out of college. Richard Branson left school at 16. Sara Blakely was selling fax machines. Henry Ford had no formal engineering training. Jack Ma was an English teacher. What matters is not the degree — it is the ability to see an opportunity, build something people want, and persist through failure.
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