In a bold move that’s sending shockwaves to the Enterprise Tech World, Salesforce has cut off rival AI firms from accessing user messages on the messaging app Slack. The Information first reported the decision, which several other sources confirmed on 11 June 2025. It marks a significant shift in how others can use data from one of the world’s largest business messaging apps.
What changed and why
The salesforce, which acquired Slack in 2021, has recently strengthened its safety measures around the customer data accessed through Slack API. The company's updated terms for existing apps by May 29, 2025, and 30 June 2025, effective for new apps, now strictly limit how external applications can use, store, and share Slack data. Apps approved through the official Slack Marketplace are not subject to strict rate limits. However, custom or non-approved apps often face severe restrictions, such as a limit of one request per minute and a maximum of 15 messages per request, making large-scale data processing or long-term storage nearly impossible.
This policy shift means that AI platforms like Glean, which allow first customers to add slack data to their search index or knowledge graph, can no longer do so. Glean has already informed its users that these changes "will obstruct your ability to use your data with your chosen enterprise AI platform," the integrated AI search and analytics tools, highlighting the widespread impact on the customers.
Big picture
The step of salesforce is not only about privacy. While the company frames changes as a response to growing concerns about how the company handles individual and customer data, industry analysts saw a strategic drama. By restricting access, salesforce can take advantage of the huge troves of conversational data for its own AI ambitions, potentially developing ownership machine learning and developing generative AI products that contestants may not easily match.
CEO Mark Benioff has been vocal about the axis of the salesforce from traditional cloud computing to data-operated AI, and this latest policy confirms that trajectory. This future isn’t decades away, it's unfolding right now. As AI and data services become rapid to the enterprise value and control high quality access, Slack messages such as real-time data become a competitive advantage.
Future approach
This policy is likely to be a wave in a shift in the enterprise software landscape. AI firms dependent on slack data for training or analytics will need to find alternative data sources or interact directly with Salesforce. Meanwhile, customers may have to face difficult options on which platform data meets their requirements for portability and AI integration.
With the regulatory investigation on AI data practices worldwide, other technical giants expect them to follow the lead of salesforce, confidentiality, and security and completely balance the valuable user data to balance the competitive interests.
Writer's opinion:
The move of salesforce clearly indicates that data is a new battleground for AI. The firm that controls the flow of information will shape the future of Enterprise Intelligence.
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