Anduril COO's Approach to Handling Slack Messages Effectively

Anduril's Chief Operating Officer, Matt Grimm, shared insights into his tactic for keeping up with the constant stream of Slack notifications from Anduril's workforce of 7,000 spread over 14 different time zones.

Efficient Message Management

Grimm's strategy involves sorting Slack messages to prioritize the unread and the latest. This method isn't entirely precise, he admits, but it's sufficient for him to stay informed on the current happenings within the company.

Given the sheer volume of communications, it is impractical for Grimm to read every post. Instead, he focuses on channels and trusts that anything requiring his urgent attention will reach him through direct messages.

Spontaneous Slack Engagement

In a talk with Sourcery, Grimm explained his tendency to drop into unexpected Slack discussions, much to the surprise of employees. As he navigates between meetings or during brief pauses in his day, he uses his downtime to review messages, keeping communication flowing.

Alternate Slack Methods from Other Leaders

Other business leaders employ various strategies to manage Slack. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, is known for penning lengthy Slack discourse that sparks thorough discussions within his team.

In contrast, Canva's CEO, Melanie Perkins, opts for digital disconnection by not having Slack on her mobile device, allowing herself to disengage once her computer is off. For emergencies, she relies on phone calls.

Optimizing Slack Productivity

Cal Henderson, one of Slack's founders, shares his top three recommendations to enhance Slack use: organizing channels by priority, setting boundaries around response times, and using video clips to reduce meetings.

As 2025 draws to a close, Slack will offer a personalized review feature, akin to Spotify Wrapped, showing users their most active contributors within their channels.