Slack

That’s according to a Slack status update published Tuesday morning at 9:38AM ET:

An update rolling out today will allow Slackbot to do things like summarize information across multiple channels, help you sort through messages, and find time to schedule meetings with colleagues. The updated Slackbot is coming to Business Plus and Enterprise Plus customers following last year’s test.

Last week, the Salesforce CEO said that he would welcome the White House sending National Guard troops into the streets of Silicon Valley. Now, he’s changing his tune following some very public criticism from Laurene Powell Jobs (Steve Jobs’ widow) and a member of his own board.

Hey Marc, is that big bet on AI not working out? And now you need a contract from Uncle Sam because there’s no other way out of this mess you got yourself into? Is that what’s going on here, babe? Just asking, because it sure seems like this is you trying to grovel your way into the gangster tech ring.

The three apps join others available in the Opera One browser’s sidebar, like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram — using them there keeps them from taking up precious browser tab real estate. Users can enable or disable these to keep the sidebar from being junked up with services you never use.

Slack is getting ready for Windows on Arm, just days before Microsoft launches its Copilot Plus PCs on June 18th with Arm-powered chips from Qualcomm. A new beta version of the ARM64 version of Slack is available today, and Slack says it will appear in the Microsoft Store soon, too. It’s another important app compatibility addition for Windows on Arm.

Slack has started rolling out a GIF picker that uses the Tenor search engine owned by Google.

One of my most closely held theories is that no product can survive a terrible name. You can maybe turn a meh name into a great one — Google, Yelp, Apple — but if you name your company Quibi or Go90, it’s over before it starts. And according to some early Slack employees, the team was this close to picking a real stinker:

We love the Stream Deck here at The Verge. It’s already a great Zoom controller and ideal for automating tasks on Windows or MacOS, and now it’s getting Slack support. The new plug-in lets you quickly mute notifications using a Stream Deck button, or open direct messages, group messages, channels, and more. If you assign a button to direct message a particular friend or colleague you’ll even see their online status on the button. You can get the Stream Deck Slack plug-in over at Elgato’s marketplace.

Reuters reports that Microsoft “is likely to face an EU antitrust investigation” over concerns around its bundling of its Teams communication app with Office subscriptions. Slack filed an anti-competitive complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission two years ago, claiming Microsoft has “illegally tied” its Microsoft Teams product to Office. The EU is “preparing the ground for an investigation,” according to one Reuters source.

But you don’t need breadcrumbs to find your way around. Here are some strategies for organizing your Slack conversations — especially if you’re lucky enough to have a paid version.