*By Bridgette Webb*
Microsoft is trying to turn up the heat on Slack, announcing a free version of its workplace collaboration tool Microsoft Teams on Thursday.
The company hopes the platform's ability to integrate with other Microsoft programs will give it a leg up on the industry leader.
“We have power of the full collaboration suite in there,” said Lori Wright, general manager of Microsoft 365 in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday.
Previously Teams, which was launched in 2016, was only available to those with an Office 365 subscription. The free version will include support for up to 300 people, with unlimited chat messages and search as well as integration with 140 apps. It also has a new option to blur out the background during video calls, something Wright said will "take out all of the distractions." Users will get less storage than on the paid plan, though, and won't have access to features like scheduling and recording meetings.
Slack does has its own free version, but that only allows users to search the last 10,000 messages and integrates with just 10 apps.
As of March, 200,000 businesses globally were using the paid version of Teams, less than half of the half million organizations on Slack.
Microsoft's efforts in workplace communications demonstrates the opportunity big tech companies see.
Facebook launched its own collaborative platform, Workplace, in 2016 and has reportedly signed up about 30,000 organizations. Last month the tool was made free for nonprofits and education providers.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/microsoft-picks-up-the-slack)
Voltus is going public by combining with a special purpose acquisition company, Broadscale Acquisition Corp., in a deal that values the electricity market technology startup at about $1.3 billion dollars. The company aims to deliver less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity to its more than 600 customers, including Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and Simon Property Group. Gregg Dixon, co-founder and CEO of Voltus and Andrew Shapiro, chairman and CEO of Broadscale Acquisition Corp., joined Cheddar News to discuss the deal.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Kemtai Co-Founder breaks down how computer vision and artificial intelligence can improve your workout form; Wove Co-Founder explains how it's creating a one-of-a-kind engagement ring design process; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'History By The Numbers.'
Mike Telem, Co-Founder at Kemtai, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the platform is using computer vision and artificial intelligence as a virtual personal trainer through a laptop's camera, and how this technology can be adapted for physical therapy.
Fintech company Square, led by the now-former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, will undergo a name change to Block as it expands its product offerings and goes beyond just a payment processing platform into blockchain and crypto spaces.
Jill and Carlo discuss what appears to be the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade, another victim dies following the school shooting in Michigan, Omicron in the U.S., Trump's Covid chronology and more.
Jack Dorsey has stepped down as CEO of Twitter, saying he believes the social media platform is "ready to move on from its founders". The move has many wondering where Dorsey will focus his attention next, as he is still CEO of his financial payments company Square, which is heavily involved in cryptocurrency. Doug Astrop, managing partner at Exponential Investment Partners, joined Cheddar to discuss what Dorsey's resignation means for tech investors, particularly within the crypto space.
