Stewart Butterfield

$1.47 B

Ranked #2646 in World

About Stewart Butterfield

Canadian entrepreneur Daniel Stewart Butterfield, born Dharma Jeremy Butterfield in Lund, British Columbia, in 1973, is recognized for co-founding Flickr and Slack, marking significant milestones in the tech industry. Taught coding skills by himself, Butterfield achieved a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.Phil., leading to the foundation of Gradfinder.com and later Flickr through Ludicorp, which Yahoo! acquired in 2005. His innovative journey continued with Tiny Speck, the development of Glitch, and the groundbreaking launch of Slack in 2014. With rapid user growth, Slack transformed team communication before its acquisition by Salesforce for US$27.7 billion in 2020. Apart from his professional achievements, Butterfield has received numerous accolades, including Businessweek’s "Top 50" Leaders (2005) and a spot on the "Time 100" list (2006). His personal life saw him marrying Caterina Fake, with whom he has a daughter, and later getting engaged to Jennifer Rubio in 2019.

Born

March 21, 1973 in Lund, British Columbia, Canada

Age

53 years

Source Of Wealth

Messaging Software

Industries

Technology

Citizenship

Canada

Residence

Aspen, Colorado

Education

Master of Philosophy, University of Cambridge; Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Victoria

Spouse

Caterina Fake (Married: 2001; Divorced: 2007)

Children

1 daughter

Daniel Stewart Butterfield, born Dharma Jeremy Butterfield on March 21, 1973, is a Canadian billionaire businessman and co-founder of Flickr and Slack. He was born in Lund, British Columbia, and grew up in a log cabin without running water or electricity. At the age of five, he moved to Victoria, where he taught himself to code and changed his name to Stewart at the age of 12. Butterfield received his education at St. Michaels University School and made money designing websites while in university.

Stewart Butterfield: Family

Butterfield was married to Caterina Fake from 2001 to 2007, and they have one daughter together. In May 2019, he became engaged to Jennifer Rubio, the co-founder of Away Luggage.

Stewart Butterfield: Career Highlights

Butterfield's career highlights include co-founding Gradfinder.com in 2000, working as a freelance web designer after its acquisition, and creating the 5K competition for website design under 5 kilobytes.

Stewart Butterfield: Companies

Butterfield has co-founded several companies, including Ludicorp, Flickr, Tiny Speck, and Slack. Ludicorp was co-founded with Caterina Fake and Jason Classon in 2002, and it developed Game Neverending before pivoting to the photo-sharing website Flickr. Flickr was acquired by Yahoo! in March 2005, and Butterfield served as General Manager until 2008. In 2009, he co-founded Tiny Speck and launched the massively multiplayer game Glitch in 2011. Glitch was closed due to an insufficient audience, but its art was released under a Creative Commons license. Butterfield announced Slack, an instant-message-based team communication tool, in August 2013, and it was publicly released in February 2014. Slack experienced rapid growth, with over 120,000 daily users in the first week of August. The company secured an office in San Francisco and expected recruitment in the second half of 2014. Slack raised US$340 million in venture capital and had over 2 million daily active users by December 2015. It was named Inc.

Magazine's 2015 company of the year and had an initial public offering in June 2019. In December 2020, Salesforce acquired Slack Technologies for US$27.7 billion, and Butterfield announced his departure as CEO of Slack and left Salesforce in early 2023.

Stewart Butterfield: Major Achievements

Butterfield's major achievements include co-founding Flickr, which became one of the most popular photo-sharing websites, and Slack, which revolutionized team communication. He has also been recognized for his contributions to technology and entrepreneurship, receiving numerous awards and honors.

Stewart Butterfield: Awards & Achievements

Butterfield has received numerous awards and honors, including being named one of Businessweek's "Top 50" Leaders in the entrepreneur category (2005), being included in MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of top 35 innovators under 35 (2005), and being featured in Time magazine's "Time 100" list of most influential people (2006). He also received the University of Victoria's "Legacy Distinguished Alumni Award" in 2008 and was named the Wall Street Journal's Technology Innovator for 2015. Additionally, he received the TechCrunch Founder of the Year Crunchie award and various other recognitions.

Stewart Butterfield: Personal Life & Legacy

Butterfield is known for his entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and passion for technology. He has made significant contributions to the tech industry and continues to inspire and influence others. His legacy includes the creation of successful companies, the development of innovative products, and the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Stewart Butterfield: Trivia

Some interesting facts about Daniel Stewart Butterfield include:

He changed his name from Dharma Jeremy Butterfield to Stewart at the age of 12.
He taught himself to code at a young age and made money designing websites while in university.
Butterfield co-founded Flickr with Caterina Fake, whom he later married.
He is an avid fan of science fiction and has named several of his companies after science fiction concepts.
Butterfield is known for his philanthropic efforts and has donated to various causes, including education and technology.

Wealth History

Timeline

March 21, 1973

Daniel Stewart Butterfield (born Dharma Jeremy Butterfield) was born in Lund, British Columbia, Canada.

1978

Moved to Victoria, British Columbia, at the age of five.

1985

Taught himself to code and changed his name to Stewart at the age of 12.

1991

Educated at St. Michaels University School.

1996

Received a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Victoria.

1998

Received an M.Phil. from Clare College, Cambridge.

2000

Co-founded Gradfinder.com.

2002

Co-founded Ludicorp with Caterina Fake and Jason Classon.

2004

Developed Game Neverending and pivoted to photo-sharing website Flickr.

March 2005

Flickr was acquired by Yahoo!, and Butterfield served as General Manager until 2008.

2009

Co-founded Tiny Speck.

2011

Launched massively multiplayer game Glitch.

2013

Glitch closed due to insufficient audience, and art was released under Creative Commons license.

2014

Fan project to relaunch Glitch as Eleven began alpha testing.

August 2013

Announced Slack, an instant-message-based team communication tool.

February 2014

Public release of Slack, with rapid growth to over 120,000 daily users in the first week of August.

2014

Secured office in San Francisco and expected recruitment in the second half of the year.

December 2015

Raised US$340 million in venture capital, with over 2 million daily active users.

2015

Named Inc. Magazine's 2015 company of the year.

June 2019

Slack Technologies had its initial public offering.

December 2020

Salesforce acquired Slack Technologies for US$27.7 billion.

Early 2023

Butterfield announced his departure as CEO of Slack and left Salesforce.

Stewart Butterfield : FAQs

What is Stewart Butterfield's current net worth?

Stewart Butterfield's current net worth is $1.47 billion.

What is Stewart Butterfield's current global rank among billionaires?

Stewart Butterfield holds the 2646th position globally among billionaires.

What is Stewart Butterfield's current ranking within the Canada?

Stewart Butterfield holds the 71st position in Canada.

What was the change in Stewart Butterfield's net worth compared to the previous year?

Stewart Butterfield's net worth decreased by 106.04 million dollars compared to the previous year 2025, when his net worth was 1.58 billion dollars.

What are Stewart Butterfield's main sources of wealth?

Stewart Butterfield's main source of income comes from Messaging Software.

In which industry does Stewart Butterfield primarily operate?

Stewart Butterfield is primarily involved in the Technology industry.

What is Stewart Butterfield educational background?

Stewart Butterfield holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts/Science from the University of Victoria.

How old is Stewart Butterfield?

Stewart Butterfield is 53 years old.

How many children does Stewart Butterfield have?

Stewart Butterfield has 1 children.

Who is Daniel Stewart Butterfield and what are his major accomplishments?

Daniel Stewart Butterfield, born Dharma Jeremy Butterfield on March 21, 1973, is a Canadian billionaire businessman known for co-founding Flickr and Slack, significant platforms in photo-sharing and team communication, respectively. His career includes pivotal transitions from early web endeavors to leading roles at major tech firms, resulting in recognition like being named in Time magazine's 'Time 100' list.

What led to the creation of Flickr and Slack by Stewart Butterfield?

Stewart Butterfield co-founded Ludicorp, which initially developed the game Neverending but pivoted to Flickr, a photo-sharing website. After Flickr's success and subsequent acquisition by Yahoo!, Butterfield co-founded Tiny Speck, which launched Glitch; following its closure, the team's experience and assets helped in forming Slack, an instant messaging-based team communication tool experiencing rapid growth and eventual acquisition by Salesforce.

How did Stewart Butterfield's early life influence his career path?

Growing up in a log cabin in British Columbia without modern conveniences, Stewart Butterfield taught himself to code and began designing websites to make money during university. His self-taught coding skills and early entrepreneurial ventures laid the groundwork for his later successes with Flickr and Slack.

What are some of Stewart Butterfield's awards and recognitions throughout his career?

Stewart Butterfield has been acknowledged widely for his innovation and leadership in technology, receiving awards such as Businessweek's 'Top 50' Leaders, MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of top innovators, Time magazine's 'Time 100' list, the Legacy Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Victoria, and being named the Wall Street Journal's Technology Innovator for 2015, among other honors.

What significances did Stewart Butterfield's personal life have on his career?

Stewart Butterfield's personal relationships have intertwined with his professional life; he was married to Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr, from 2001 to 2007, with whom he has a daughter. His engagement to Jennifer Rubio, co-founder of Away Luggage, in 2019, highlights the confluence of personal and professional networks within the tech industry, aiding in the broadening of his entrepreneurial impact.