> There is also an incentive to display the proper status, since if you show all green when the service is down, you look dumb.
How many customers will think you look dumb? If you admit downtime, will the accurate reporting drive away more new customers, than the inaccurate reporting drives away due to you looking dumb?
"Looking dumb" is not a reasonable factor. Damage to your public image is, but that's divorced from looking dumb. It's entirely possible Slack is saving money by not admitting their downtimes, because it leaves a better image.