Stewart Butterfield (born Daniel Stewart Butterfield) is a Canadian businessman, the self-made billionaire Co-founder and former CEO of Slack Technologies (NYSE: WORK) and Flickr. His career is rooted in philosophy, social technology, and serial entrepreneurial disruption.

Butterfield holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Victoria and an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. His philosophical approach centers on technological disruption, communication efficiency, and long-term commitment to enterprise collaboration (pioneering the modern business chat model). His career is defined by the successful, large-scale sale of both his primary ventures.

• Slack Technologies (Co-founder & Former CEO): The core publicly traded asset, the dominant team collaboration and business messaging platform (sold to Salesforce for $27.7 billion in 2021).
• Flickr (Co-founder & Former Executive): The pioneering photo sharing service (sold to Yahoo! in 2005).
• Academic Background: He holds an M.A. in Philosophy from Cambridge University and a B.A. from Victoria.
• Investment Strategy: His success is built on scale software development and creating platforms with strong network effects (a key structural advantage).

Stewart Butterfield's strategic genius was his commitment to communication tools. 2004: Flickr. He co-founded Flickr (which was sold to Yahoo! in 2005). 2013: Slack. He co-founded Slack (which originated as an internal tool for a failed game development project), recognizing the structural need for a modern, streamlined enterprise communication platform. His structural contribution is immense: pioneering the modern business collaboration software (SaaS) model.

The pinnacle of his financial career was the $27.7 billion sale of Slack to Salesforce in 2021. He stepped down as CEO in 2022. His wealth is secured by the colossal liquid gains from his serial tech exits and the long-term appreciation of his investments.

Stewart Butterfield's social impact stems from Slack's role in transforming enterprise communication and productivity globally. His prior venture, Flickr, pioneered the social media photo-sharing model. His personal philanthropy supports various educational and community initiatives, often focused on technology access and computer science education.

His personal philanthropy supports various community and educational initiatives.

Stewart Butterfield maintains the professional, pragmatic style of a technology executive. His attire is consistently formal and high-quality, favoring tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects serious authority and intellectual depth, typical of a pioneer in the specialized software sector.

Residing in San Francisco, California, his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to technology innovation, strategic management, and software architecture.