What did Stewart Butterfield mean by "fake" work?

Stewart Butterfield described "fake" work as hyper-realistic worklike activities that superficially resemble real tasks but lack genuine value or impact on business success.

How does "fake" work differ from essential startup tasks?

Essential startup tasks are foundational and create infinite value for a new business, whereas "fake" work emerges later as companies scale and has little to no generative value.

Can remote work contribute to "fake" work according to Slack's former CEO?

Yes, remote work can enable or even encourage "fake" work activities, such as pretending to be active when not actually engaged in productive tasks.

Home / Business and Economy / Slack Co-founder: Beware "Fake" Work

Slack Co-founder: Beware "Fake" Work

26 Nov

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Summary

Remote work fuels "fake" work like coffee badging.
Hyper-realistic activities mimic real tasks but lack value.
Early startup tasks create infinite generative value.

Slack's co-founder, Stewart Butterfield, has identified a phenomenon he calls "fake" work, or hyper-realistic worklike activities. These tasks appear to be productive but ultimately contribute little to a company's success. Butterfield observed this trend during his extensive experience scaling tech companies like Flickr and Slack.

He differentiates this "fake" work from "known valuable work," which drives innovation and growth. While early-stage startups are characterized by essential, high-value tasks necessary for their foundation, the issue arises as companies mature and hire more staff.

As organizations grow, the nature of work shifts. What begins as a clear set of essential tasks can evolve into a situation where employees engage in activities that look like work but lack genuine impact, especially when remote work offers new opportunities for such behaviors.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.