Denise Dresser, the CEO of Slack, is set to leave the company to join OpenAI as its chief revenue officer. This transition was announced by Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, which owns Slack, in a message to staff on Monday evening. Dresser will begin her new role next week, where she will oversee OpenAI's enterprise unit, a sector that has experienced significant growth in 2023. She will report to Brad Lightcap, the company's chief operating officer.
OpenAI's CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, highlighted Dresser's experience in leading transformative shifts in technology, emphasizing that her leadership will be instrumental in making AI tools accessible and beneficial for businesses across various industries.
Dresser has been with Salesforce for 14 years, holding several executive positions before becoming CEO of Slack in 2023, following the departure of Lidiane Jones. Slack, originally founded in 2009, gained popularity as a workplace communication tool and was acquired by Salesforce in 2021 for nearly $28 billion. Following the acquisition, Slack's operations were integrated into Salesforce, leading to reports of cultural clashes between the startup's employees and the larger corporation.
In her time as CEO, Dresser implemented several AI features, including AI-generated meeting summaries and integrations with Salesforce's AI systems. Following her departure, Rob Seaman, currently Slack's chief product officer, will serve as interim CEO.