On Wednesday, Slack, the popular messaging platform for workplaces, faced significant outages. At one point, over 3,000 users reported issues around 11 a.m. EST. By 3 p.m. EST, those numbers dropped to about 439 reports.
Slack’s technical dashboard indicated users had difficulties connecting, sending messages, and accessing apps and features. However, as of 3:05 p.m. EST, there were no problems noted with notifications, search, or workspace administration.
The outage started around 10:27 a.m. EST, leading the Slack team to investigate the underlying causes. They acknowledged that some features, like workflows and API-related functionalities, weren’t working properly. Even as users reported improvements, Slack confirmed that they were still working to restore full functionality.
At 3:34 p.m. EST, Slack announced they had pinpointed the issue but noted that it had not yet been fully resolved. Some users might still experience problems as they continued to work on fixes.
Slack, owned by Salesforce, began in 2009 and now serves over 200,000 paid customers worldwide. Originally aimed at creating an online game, the company pivoted to a messaging tool for businesses after their first project failed. This shift proved successful, and the platform quickly gained popularity after its launch in 2013.
In late 2020, Salesforce made headlines when it acquired Slack for $27.7 billion, marking the company’s largest acquisition. This move highlighted Slack’s importance in the evolving landscape of workplace communication.