Jennifer Rubio and Stewart Butterfield have announced that they are separating after six years of marriage, while emphasizing that several parts of the life they built together will continue.
The Away cofounder and the cofounder of Slack and Flickr disclosed the decision in a joint Instagram statement on August 5th.
Rubio and Butterfield said they will remain connected through their children, families, friendships, philanthropy, investments and shared business interests.
They did not explain what led to the separation or disclose whether either had filed for divorce.
The Couple Announced the Separation Directly
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“With deep love and respect for one another, we’ve made the decision to separate,” Rubio and Butterfield wrote. “Though we will no longer be married, we are still a family and what matters most to us remains the same,” the statement continued.
“Our children will always come first, and we are committed to raising them in a loving environment with two active and present parents.” Rubio and Butterfield married in 2020.
They Said Their Families and Friendships Remain Intertwined
“We’re also partners in the life we’ve built together,” their statement read. The pair said their families, friendships and communities remain deeply connected and that they intend to preserve those relationships.
One person in their circle told Page Six that the news was surprising because the couple had recently hosted friends together. A second source told the outlet that the separation had been developing privately for some time and that Rubio and Butterfield had continued organizing trips and gatherings as friends.
The Rubio Butterfield Foundation Will Continue Its Work
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Rubio and Butterfield said they remain committed to philanthropy through the Rubio Butterfield Foundation, as well as the businesses, investments and causes they have supported together. One of their largest recent commitments was a pledge of more than $23 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The funding will permanently endow the museum’s paid internship programs for undergraduate and graduate students. The program is scheduled to carry Rubio and Butterfield’s names beginning in September 2026. The Met said the endowment will support more than 100 interns each year and help remove financial barriers for people seeking careers in museums and the arts.
“My own path has been made possible by access, by people and institutions that opened doors early on, and by formative experiences that shaped how I came to see the world,” Rubio said when the gift was announced. She added that she and Butterfield wanted to make the museum’s entry-level opportunities more equitable for future generations.
The Foundation Also Pledged Support for the Met’s Tang Wing
In addition to the internship endowment, the Rubio Butterfield Foundation made a separate pledge supporting the Met’s new Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art. The wing is expected to open in 2030.
Rubio was elected to the Met’s Board of Trustees in 2026. She had previously served as a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art, while Butterfield currently serves on the boards of the Whitney and the Dia Art Foundation.