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Freedom251 › Blog › Austin McChord

Slide’s Austin McChord Takes Over as Interim CEO as Michael Fass Departs

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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Austin McChord is now Slide’s interim CEO after co-founder and CEO Michael Fass stepped down effective immediately on October 14, 2026. Slide has not given a reason for Fass’s departure or said whether it will conduct a search for a permanent chief executive.

What changed at Slide

Slide confirmed a leadership handoff at a consequential point for the company’s expansion. McChord, a Slide co-founder, is taking day-to-day responsibility as interim chief executive. Fass, who co-founded Slide with McChord and had led the company as CEO, left the role immediately rather than through a publicly announced transition period.

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Neither Slide nor the reports on the change identify why Fass departed. There is also no announced timetable for naming a permanent CEO. Those details matter because an interim appointment can be a short bridge to a planned executive search, an internal succession step or a longer-term arrangement; Slide has not indicated which path it will take.

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Who is Austin McChord?

McChord brings a previous MSP-industry leadership record to the interim role. He founded Datto, which developed into a global technology company serving managed service providers. Kaseya acquired Datto for $6.2 billion in 2022.

McChord and Fass launched Slide in 2025. In a statement about the change, McChord credited Fass with turning their original concept into the operating business Slide is today: “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 scale and financing

The transition comes while Slide is building an MSP-focused platform for business continuity and disaster recovery. The company says it has more than 1,000 MSP partners worldwide. Recent financing has supplied capital for product development, operations and geographic expansion.

Item Reported detail Why it matters
Partner network More than 1,000 MSP partners worldwide, according to Slide and coverage of the company Shows that leadership decisions affect an established channel network rather than a pre-launch product
Series A $25 million, raised in June 2025 Provided early growth capital after Slide’s launch
Series B $70 million, raised in March 2026 Supported platform development, operations, international growth and a Canadian data center
Canadian data center Added for customers that want backup data retained in Canada Addresses data-residency requirements in the Canadian market

The financing figures are reported rounds, not a statement of Slide’s current cash balance or valuation. Likewise, the partner count is the company’s reported total and does not by itself show how many partners are active, how much revenue each contributes or which countries account for the network.

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What the change means for Slide partners

No immediate operating changes have been announced

Coverage of the appointment found no announced change to Slide’s product strategy, partner program or day-to-day operations. MSPs should therefore distinguish between the confirmed leadership change and any future decisions that have not been communicated.

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Continuity is the near-term question

Partners will likely look for confirmation that account teams, support processes, roadmap commitments and channel incentives continue under the interim arrangement. The available announcements do not report a disruption in any of those areas. An interim CEO with prior experience scaling an MSP technology company may support continuity, but that is an expectation, not a commitment Slide has publicly made.

Expansion plans remain relevant

Slide’s recent capital was tied to international growth and infrastructure, including the Canadian facility. Partners evaluating the platform should watch whether those initiatives keep their existing schedules, whether new regional capabilities are announced and how leadership responsibility is divided while the CEO role is interim.

Questions Slide has not answered

  • Why did Michael Fass leave the CEO position?
  • Will Slide begin a formal search for a permanent CEO?
  • How long will McChord serve as interim CEO?
  • Will the board change its product, hiring or international-expansion priorities?

None of these points is established by the announcement. Treating speculation as a reason for Fass’s departure or assuming that McChord will become permanent would go beyond the information Slide has released.

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What MSPs should monitor next

  1. Leadership communication: Look for a statement that defines the interim mandate, reporting structure and process for selecting a permanent CEO.
  2. Partner-program notices: Check for changes to contracts, pricing, incentives, support contacts or onboarding requirements rather than inferring changes from the executive announcement alone.
  3. Product and infrastructure updates: Track roadmap releases, international availability and the Canadian data-residency offering against prior commitments.
  4. Execution signals: Pay attention to support responsiveness, release cadence and service-level communications during the transition.
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Timeline

Date Event
2022 Kaseya acquired Datto for $6.2 billion; McChord had founded Datto.
2025 McChord and Fass launched Slide, followed by a $25 million Series A in June.
March 2026 Slide raised $70 million in Series B financing.
October 14, 2026 Fass stepped down effective immediately and McChord became interim CEO.

For now, the practical reading is a leadership transition without a disclosed strategy change. Slide’s next substantive update—on permanent leadership, partner operations or the funded expansion program—will determine whether this is a brief succession bridge or the start of a broader reset.

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Austin McChordBusiness ContinuityDisaster RecoveryMichael FassMSPSlidetechnology leadership

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