OpenAI has recruited Slack’s CEO Denise Dresser to lead its revenue operations, marking another high-profile executive transition in the tech industry. Multiple sources confirmed to WIRED that Dresser will join OpenAI as Chief Revenue Officer, where she’ll oversee the company’s rapidly expanding enterprise division and report directly to Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced Dresser’s departure to Slack employees on Monday evening, ending her 14-year tenure with the company. Rob Seaman, Slack’s current Chief Product Officer, will step in as interim CEO according to sources familiar with the situation.
Strategic Move for OpenAI’s Enterprise Ambitions
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, highlighted the strategic importance of this hire in a statement: “We’re on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry. Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere.”
The appointment comes at a crucial time for OpenAI as it aggressively expands its enterprise offerings. Dresser’s extensive experience in enterprise sales at Salesforce prior to becoming Slack’s CEO positions her well to accelerate OpenAI’s revenue growth and business adoption strategy.
Slack’s Leadership Turnover Continues
Dresser’s exit continues a pattern of leadership changes at Slack following its $28 billion acquisition by Salesforce in 2021. She became CEO in 2023 after her predecessor Lidiane Jones departed for Bumble after just one year in the role. The company has experienced significant leadership turnover since the acquisition, with co-founders Stewart Butterfield and Cal Henderson leaving within a few years of the deal.
During her brief tenure as CEO, Dresser oversaw several significant AI initiatives at Slack, including AI-generated meeting summaries and integration with Salesforce’s AI agents. She also made headlines for publicly supporting some of Elon Musk’s government efficiency proposals on social media.
Cultural Integration Challenges Post-Acquisition
Slack’s journey since being acquired by Salesforce illustrates the challenges that often arise when a smaller, innovative company is absorbed by a larger enterprise organization. Reports of culture clashes emerged as Slack’s operations were gradually integrated into Salesforce’s corporate structure.
The messaging platform, which began in 2009 and launched its workplace collaboration tools by 2014, grew rapidly as an independent company before the acquisition. The transition from startup to subsidiary has resulted in operational changes and the departure of much of its founding team.
OpenAI’s Talent Acquisition Strategy
For OpenAI, hiring Dresser represents another strategic talent acquisition as the company scales its commercial operations. Her enterprise sales background and experience leading a major software platform through AI integration makes her particularly valuable as OpenAI works to monetize its advanced AI capabilities.
Dresser begins her new role next week and will be tasked with accelerating the adoption of OpenAI’s technology across business sectors. This executive move highlights the increasing competition for experienced leadership talent in the artificial intelligence space as companies position themselves for the next phase of AI commercialization.
Neither Slack nor Salesforce had provided official comments on the transition at the time of reporting. The leadership change comes as both companies continue navigating the evolving landscape of workplace collaboration tools and AI integration.