surakku

Surakku, known in English as Slack, is a cloud-based team collaboration platform that provides messaging, file sharing, and integration with other apps. It organizes conversations into channels, direct messages, and threads, with a searchable archive. It enables real-time and asynchronous communication and supports voice and video calls, screen sharing, and shared workspaces. Users can customize notifications, pin messages, and create automated workflows via built-in apps and third-party integrations with services such as GitHub, Jira, Google Drive, and more. Slack runs in web browsers and via desktop and mobile apps, with data synchronized across devices.

History and ownership: Slack began as an internal tool at Tiny Speck, founded by Stewart Butterfield, and was released publicly in 2013. It grew rapidly, becoming a dominant platform for workplace communication. In 2021, Slack was acquired by Salesforce and currently operates as a standalone product within Salesforce's ecosystem, with deep integrations to Salesforce's customer relationship management and enterprise software.

Impact and reception: Slack popularized and normalized channel-based collaboration and asynchronous work. It competes with Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and other collaboration tools. Pricing includes a free tier with limited history and paid plans that unlock unlimited history, higher storage, enhanced security, and administrative controls. Critics cite information overload, notification fatigue, and potential distraction in workplace culture.