Masters of Scale The Big Pivot w/Slack's Stewart Butterfield
Jul 26, 2019
Stewart Butterfield, Co-founder and CEO of Slack, is known for transforming failed gaming ventures into groundbreaking platforms like Flickr and Slack. He shares insights on the critical moments that prompted major pivots in his career. Listeners learn how Flickr was born from a stalled game project and how Slack evolved from a communication tool into a business necessity. He emphasizes the importance of community involvement and employee support during challenging transitions, showcasing how storytelling and adaptability lead to innovation.
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Game Neverending's Failure
- Stewart Butterfield created Game Neverending during the dot-com burst.
- Investors weren't interested in online gaming, leaving the company struggling.
Flickr's Unlikely Origin
- While struggling to fund Game Neverending, Butterfield got food poisoning.
- During this, he conceived the idea for Flickr, a photo-sharing site.
Slash and Burn
- Pivot from failing ideas to successful ones.
- Slash and burn everything that isn't working to focus on what shows promise.