[rapht]

I absolutely do not buy into the idea that "poor Slack" failed to "overcome giants" and that any harm was actually done.

$27bn is actually successful for a company that's just a few years old.

The competition that was stirred during those years ended up with Microsoft developing what is now a good product for 80% of use cases, with integration with tools (Office) that 80% of companies use, and all those companies benefitting from it did not have to shell out a single additional penny.

From the eyes of consumers, I would call it a success of competition rather than a failure. Sure, it has now run its course, but making $27bn out of it is not what I would call a bitter end - the dream of independence aside. But that's a for few individuals to dream about...