In 2012, Stewart Butterfield Extracted an Internal Chat Tool While Shutting Down a Game: That Tool Became Slack

As explained by Butterfield himself and his team back in 2012, they tried to create a multiplayer game named Glitch. However, the game failed to achieve popularity and was a disappointment to its creators. In Slack's view, their own history shows that the shutdown made them carefully consider what exactly they have accomplished in developing the game. What really mattered was not the game but the internal communication tool the team had constructed. This was revealed by reports in Inc. and Business Insider, which say that the tool turned out to be very helpful for organizing conversations and making collaboration easier in terms of getting rid of emails.

It is important because here the idea of failure receives another interpretation. Failure does not mean the destruction of everything achieved. Instead, there appears to be something that allows considering what can be obtained from the failed project. The problem was clear and complicated to accept. The team found out that what really mattered was not the initial intention but something completely different.

Turning an Internal Habit Into a Product

The internal chat application was not designed with the general public in mind. Rather, it emerged through the needs of a small team working under a lot of pressure. As reported by The Verge and Fast Company, while the application became functional and efficient, its range was limited. Its transition from being an internal tool to becoming a product involved a paradigm shift. Instead of addressing the problems of the founders, the product would address similar problems within various organizations. The application had to be redesigned, its user interface streamlined, and its adaptability increased.

On the other hand, the application was a success since the fundamental concept had already been proven. Contrary to many applications that come into existence due to theoretical assumptions, this one was tested every day. CNBC reveals that Butterfield realized the potential of the product early on because he knew that it solved a problem with which everyone was frustrated. Namely, email communication could be a nuisance.

Why Did the Pivot Work?

It is usually called a "pivot" that contributed to Slack’s success; however, it was more than that. The idea was to keep what had worked and move away from what hadn’t. As mentioned by both Forbes and Wired, the effectiveness of the tool was determined by its simplicity and practicality as opposed to theoretical design.

Timing was also important. Communication in the workplace had been undergoing changes, and people sought faster and more organized solutions than emails offered. Slack provided such a solution thanks to the real-world experience used to develop its features. The point is quite obvious: valuable products are not necessarily those whose development has been initially intended.