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Slide co-founder Austin McChord is now the company’s interim chief executive officer after fellow co-founder and CEO Michael Fass stepped down effective immediately on October 14, 2026. Slide has not disclosed why Fass left and has not said whether it will conduct a search for a permanent CEO.
What changed at Slide
The leadership change places McChord, who co-founded Slide with Fass in 2025, in day-to-day executive responsibility while the company continues expanding its business-continuity and disaster-recovery platform for managed service providers (MSPs).
Fass’s departure was effective immediately. Neither Slide nor the reports from CRN and Channel Insider identified a reason for his exit, and neither publication reported a confirmed timetable or decision for appointing a permanent chief executive. Those details remain open rather than established facts.
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Who is Austin McChord?
McChord is best known for founding Datto, an MSP technology company that grew into a global business before Kaseya acquired it for $6.2 billion in 2022. He and Fass started Slide in 2025, positioning the new company around backup, business continuity and disaster recovery services sold through MSP partners.
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In a statement reproduced by CRN, McChord credited Fass with turning their original idea into an operating company: “Michael and I started Slide because we believed MSPs deserved something better. He brought that vision to life, and I’m deeply grateful for his leadership in building Slide into the successful, growing business it is today.”
Slide’s funding and expansion context
The CEO transition comes during a significant financing and expansion period. Slide announced a $25 million Series A in June 2025 and a $70 million financing round in March 2026. CRN reported that the later funding was intended to support platform development, operations, international growth and a Canadian data center for customers that require backup data to remain in Canada.
| Milestone | Reported detail | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Company founded | Austin McChord and Michael Fass launched Slide | 2025 |
| Series A | $25 million | June 2025 |
| Later financing | $70 million; described by CRN as supporting product, operations, international growth and a Canadian data center | March 2026 |
| MSP partner base | More than 1,000 partners worldwide, according to Slide and the trade reports | Reported in 2026 |
What the change means for MSP partners
There was no announced immediate change to Slide’s product strategy, partner program or operations in the reports covering McChord’s appointment. That means partners should not assume that pricing, contracts, support arrangements or product direction have changed solely because the CEO role changed.
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Continuity to watch
- Whether Slide maintains its stated roadmap for backup, business continuity and disaster recovery.
- Whether the partner program, channel support and service operations remain under the same leadership structure.
- How the company communicates the responsibilities and duration of the interim appointment.
Strategic questions for partner due diligence
MSPs evaluating or expanding a relationship with Slide will reasonably want clarity on leadership continuity, international rollout plans, data-residency options and the use of the new capital. The most important future signal will be a formal announcement about a permanent CEO or a published roadmap update; no such announcement was established in the coverage available for this report.
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How large is Slide’s partner network?
Slide reports more than 1,000 MSP partners worldwide. Channel Insider used the same “more than 1,000” figure after reporting on the $70 million Series B round. The number is a company-reported partner count, not an independently audited measure of active customers, deployments or revenue, so it should not be read as a precise count of current production installations.
What is known—and unknown—about Michael Fass’s departure?
The confirmed facts are limited: Fass stepped down as CEO effective immediately on October 14, 2026, and McChord assumed the interim role. Slide has not publicly given a reason for the departure. The company also has not confirmed whether it will seek a permanent replacement, how long McChord will serve, or whether the board has set a transition timetable.
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- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
Until Slide provides those details, explanations about strategy disputes, personal reasons or organizational changes would be speculation.
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- Look for Slide’s formal statement on whether McChord’s appointment is temporary for a defined period or open-ended.
- Check for an announcement of a permanent-CEO search, internal succession plan or board decision.
- Compare future product and partner-program communications with the roadmap described during the 2026 financing.
- Watch for updates on international expansion and the Canadian data center, particularly for customers with data-residency requirements.
For now, Slide’s operating picture is one of leadership change rather than a declared product or channel reset: McChord is interim CEO, Fass has departed, the company reports a partner base above 1,000 MSPs, and its recently raised capital gives it room to continue the expansion plans already described.
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