I really enjoyed this presentation about platforms and power over their lifetime: http://www.lostgarden.com/2011/03/gdc-2011-game-of-platform-power.html http://

I really enjoyed this presentation about platforms and power over their lifetime: http://www.lostgarden.com/2011/03/gdc-2011-game-of-platform-power.html http://www.lostgarden.com/2011/03/gdc-2011-game-of-platform-... In the framework of this presentation, slack is currently in the 'Engage' phase of the platform. They're all about openness and building something great. But code is law, and eventually their APIs will be used for something they dislike. Building on a platform is always going to be like snatching pennies from in front of a steamroller.