It's become nearly as popular as e-mail within some businesses, but a new directory and funding program may soon make Slack equally appealing to app developers.
The startup said it would offer up to $80 million in support for those creating apps that work with its core technology, as well as the Slack App Directory to help businesses more easily discover such apps.
Members of Slack team were eager to court developer opinions by sharing the news on social media like Twitter:
"Launched some things! 1) Slack App Directory https://t.co/VgsXm6Smzh 2) Botkit https://t.co/s5bUJGav9t 3) $80M Fund https://t.co/5askmYxIBc" — Buster (@buster) December 16, 2015
Some suggested that Slack's strategy was a good fit for the times.
"@TechCrunch @JoshConstine The right place for future Enterprise & Entertainment Apps." — Keyideas Infotech (@keyideasglobal) December 16, 2015
Some might see Slack App Directory as a disruptive force in this market, which prompted some interesting responses:
"@VentureBeat perfect timing! bring it." — brian harniman (@bharniman) December 16, 2015
"My thoughts on Slack App Directory https://t.co/eJR52P4KKC cc @SlackHQ @buster @stewart @betaworks on @ProductHunt pic.twitter.com/ug5xXuunJc" — Ben Tossell (@bentossell) December 16, 2015
The general consensus, however, was that Slack is poised to dominate the enterprise app space.