Microsoft reportedly scrubbed a bid for Slack

Microsoft reportedly considered buying ‘Slack’ which is often considered as the darling it of the software world for a huge sum of money.

The tech giant Microsoft was supposedly mulling a bid as large as US$8 billion before ultimately deciding against a purchase. An acquisition could have made sense for Microsoft, which has been picking up companies left and right over the past few years.

Slack is right in its wheelhouse, considering that Microsoft has purchased several other productivity-focused startups, including email app Acompli and calendar app Sunrise. Those deals formed the backbone for some of Microsoft’s newer productivity applications, including its Outlook app for iOS and Android.

However, according to the report, the company remains focused on pushing its own products as Slack alternatives. While executives tried to drum up support for an acquisition, several big Microsoft names, including CEO Satya Nadella and founder Bill Gates, were unconvinced. Considering that Microsoft already owns Yammer and Skype, that’s understandable.
Microsoft is trying to develop other capabilities for its enterprise-focused Skype for Business product that Slack seems unlikely to replicate. Microsoft and Slack both declined to comment.