Meta Platforms Inc. today announced plans to shut down Workplace, an enterprise version of Facebook that competes with Slack, in early 2026.

The company notified customers of the move in an email made public by TechCrunch. A spokesperson confirmed the decision following the report, telling Bloomberg that “we are discontinuing Workplace from Meta so we can focus on building AI and metaverse technologies that we believe will fundamentally reshape the way we work.”

Workplace, which debuted in 2015 under the name Facebook at Work, is a business communications platform with a similar set of features as Slack. One of its main differentiators is an easy-to-use interface modeled after Facebook. Users can view posts from colleagues in a centralized feed, as well as add comments and create topic-specific groups.

Workplace also provides more advanced features. There are more than 80 integrations that enable users to access data from Salesforce, Google Drive and other popular software-as-a-service products. Software workflows dubbed Workplace Bots make it possible to automate tasks such as answering common technical support questions. 

Meta’s website for the platform states that it has 7 million paid users. A source told TechCrunch that the growth of Workplace’s installed base “slowed down” following the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have factored into the decision to discontinue the offering. At one point, investors reportedly approached Meta about spinning out the platform at a valuation exceeding $1 billion, but the offer didn’t lead to a sale.

The company plans to sunset Workplace in phases. On Sept. 1, it will discount the platform’s subscription tiers by 50%. Exactly one year later, Meta intends to stop charging customers for Workplace and will disable their ability to upload new content. The platform is set to remain accessible in read-only mode until May 31, 2026, at which point it will shut down.

Meta has built a tool called Download Your Information to let users export their Workplace data. Administrators, in turn, can leverage an application programming interface to download the contents of employees’ Workplace accounts in bulk. Meta will continue offering support services to help customers move off the platform.

The company has named Zoom Video Communications Inc. as its “only preferred migration partner.” Meta will provide tools and services to help customers migrate their Workplace environments to Workvivo, an employee communications platform that Zoom acquired last year. Workvivo provides an interface through which companies can share business updates with employees, as well as create internal knowledge bases and run employee surveys.

Image: Meta