https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/dec/01/salesforce-to-buy-slack-microsoft > Marc Benioff’s company gains leverage against Microsoft’s threat with the largest acquisition in its 21-year history > Business software pioneer Salesforce.com is buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7bn in a deal aimed at giving the two companies a better shot at competing against longtime industry powerhouse Microsoft.