Slack CEO Butterfield on `Bloomberg Studio 1.0'

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack, shares his journey from an unconventional childhood to becoming a tech entrepreneur. He discusses his early interest in technology, the accidental creation of Flickr, and the development of Slack. Butterfield emphasizes the importance of diversity and company culture, and reflects on the future of work and technology's role in human interaction.

What was unique about Stewart Butterfield's childhood?

• He attended a prestigious private school.

• He traveled extensively with his family.

• He was raised in a log cabin without modern amenities.

• He grew up in a bustling city.

What was Stewart Butterfield's first major venture?

• An online marketplace.

• A video streaming service.

• A photo-sharing website called Flickr.

• A social media platform.

How did Butterfield's company Flickr come into existence?

• It was a result of a merger with another company.

• It was inspired by a competitor's success.

• It was a planned venture from the start.

• It was developed as a side project during a game development.

What is a central theme in Butterfield's career?

• Developing hardware technology.

• Facilitating human interaction through computing.

• Creating financial software.

• Building educational platforms.

What was the unexpected outcome of Butterfield's second game project?

• It won several industry awards.

• It led to the creation of Slack.

• It was acquired by a major tech company.

• It became a popular social media site.

How does Butterfield view the competition from Microsoft and Facebook?

• He believes Slack is far ahead in product development.

• He is considering exiting the market.

• He sees it as a major threat.

• He plans to merge with one of them.

What is Butterfield's approach to Slack's potential and growth?

• He is focused on maintaining the current size.

• He sees unlimited potential and aims for significant growth.

• He is looking to sell the company soon.

• He plans to downsize to focus on niche markets.

What is Butterfield's stance on diversity within Slack?

• He believes it is not a priority.

• He has made it a company-wide priority from early on.

• He thinks it should be addressed later.

• He leaves it to individual teams to decide.

How does Butterfield view the role of technology in society?

• He feels it should replace all traditional methods.

• He thinks it should be limited to business use.

• He sees it as a tool that can be used for both good and bad.

• He believes it only has negative impacts.

What is Butterfield's vision for the future of work?

• He believes in reducing technology use.

• He sees technology enhancing communication and productivity.

• He plans to eliminate remote work.

• He wants to return to traditional work methods.