People familiar with Slack's upcoming public offering share what to expect

Slack, the popular workplace messaging company, is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday in the second major direct listing in the U.S. after Spotify introduced the concept to investors in April of last year. At this point, plenty of industry observers think it makes sound sense for Slack to embrace the direct listing approach, wherein a company places its stock on a public exchange without raising any money or using underwriters. Slack also doesn't need underwriters who typically discount a company's shares in order to ensure that they appreciate in value when they begin trading.