On Wednesday, the workplace messaging platform Slack faced significant outages, with reports peaking at over 3,000 users experiencing issues around 11 a.m. EST, according to DownDetector. By 3 p.m. EST, the number of reported problems had notably decreased, indicating a gradual return to normalcy.
Key Facts
The disruptions began at 10:27 a.m. EST, as Slack’s tech dashboard alerted users to difficulties in connecting and loading the platform. By 3 p.m. EST, only 439 users were still reporting issues, a stark decline from the earlier peak of approximately 3,100 at around 11:40 a.m.
At 12:26 p.m. EST, Slack communicated that it was actively investigating the situation, particularly concerning deprecated functionalities affecting workflows, threads, messaging, and API-related features. Despite indications of improved service for some users, Slack reiterated at 3:05 p.m. EST that efforts were ongoing to restore full functionality to the impacted features.
By 3:34 p.m. EST, the company announced that it had identified the root cause of the outages, although it cautioned that the issue was not entirely resolved, and some users might still encounter difficulties.
What Parts Of Slack Are Down?
According to Slack’s tech dashboard, users reported challenges with logging in, messaging, apps, integrations, APIs, and workflows. However, as of 3:05 p.m. EST, there were no reported issues with notifications, search functions, file sharing, huddles, workspace administration, or canvases.
Key Background
Slack, a cloud-based messaging platform, is owned by Salesforce, which completed its acquisition in 2020. The platform boasts over 200,000 paid customers and operates in more than 150 countries. Founded in 2009 by Stewart Butterfield in Vancouver, Slack’s origins trace back to a failed gaming project called Glitch. After pivoting, the company launched its messaging tool in late 2013, receiving positive feedback and strong demand.
Big Number
.7 billion. This figure represents the amount Salesforce invested to acquire Slack in late 2020, marking the largest acquisition in Salesforce’s history at that time.
