Early Life
Stewart Butterfield, originally named Dharma Jeremy Butterfield, was born on March 21, 1973, in Lund, British Columbia, Canada. His early life was shaped by a childhood spent in a log cabin without running water or electricity. His family lived on a commune after his father moved from the US to avoid being drafted in the Vietnam War. When he was 12, he changed his name to Stewart. Butterfield showed an interest in coding, teaching himself the skill and making money designing websites while in university.
Rise to Success
Butterfield's career started with Gradfinder.com in 2000. Later, he co-founded Ludicorp in 2002 with Caterina Fake and Jason Classon. Ludicorp initially developed an online game called Game Neverending, which struggled to gain traction. The team pivoted to focus on photo sharing, leading to the creation of Flickr. Flickr was acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. He then co-founded Tiny Speck, developing the project Glitch. However, Glitch didn't perform as well, and the team pivoted again, this time creating Slack. Launched in August 2013, Slack quickly gained popularity, transforming team communication. Salesforce acquired Slack in December 2020 for $27.7 billion.
Key Business Strategies
Butterfield's success can be attributed to his ability to identify opportunities and adapt to market needs. The pivot from the failing online game Game Neverending to Flickr demonstrates his ability to recognize potential and make changes. Similarly, the shift from Glitch to Slack showed a willingness to innovate and capitalize on internal tools. The core strategy was a focus on user experience, which made Slack easier to use than competitors, leading to rapid adoption.
Philanthropy
Beyond business, Butterfield is known for his philanthropic efforts. He has pledged to share most of his wealth for good causes, supporting efforts such as fighting climate change, aiding those in poverty, and promoting education.