Microsoft planned to buy Slack for $8 billion back in March 2016 but backed out after stiff opposition from founder Bill Gates and current CEO, Satya Nadella. After failing to convince Gates and Nadella into buying Slack, the Microsoft honchos have decide the next best way to get it, kill it with competition! According to a report on MSPowerUser, the Redmond-based tech giant is reportedly working on creating a Slack competitor — with the help of Skype.
According to MSPowerUser, Microsoft will be introducing a new feature in Skype called Skype Teams. The Skype Teams will resemble and include a lot of familiar and beloved group messaging features that people are used to in Slack. “Skype Teams will allow you to chat in different groups within a team, also known as ‘channels.’ Additionally, users will be able to talk to each other via Direct Messages on Skype Teams,” MSPowerUser reported. Microsoft’s new Skype Teams feature will also include “Threaded Conversations,” a feature that Slack is supposedly working on and will be releasing in its next update. Apart from that, like Slack, Skype Teams will allow users to make video calls in the app, and include other useful features like the ability to share files and notes, schedule meetings and make use of Office 365 integration to incorporate Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, etc. GIF messages have been one of the most popular feature with Slack users and Microsoft is also planning to incorporate that in Skype Teams. MSPowerUser states that Skype Teams will have a feature called “The Fun Picker,” which allows you to choose from a slew of fun emoji, GIFs and memes. Microsoft plans to release Skype Teams as a web and Windows app, the report said, in addition to apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices.
