"Workday, which offers an AI platform for finance and HR, announced on Tuesday a definitive agreement to acquire Swedish AI startup Sana for around $1.1 billion. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's fiscal 2026, follows two other strategic acquisitions, Paradox and Flowise, announced last month. I sat down with Zane Rowe, CFO of Workday (a CFO Daily sponsor) to discuss his perspective on the deal and the company's approach to M&A. Sana's proprietary technology, known for its intuitive user interface and foundational AI learning tools, aligns closely with Workday's offerings, he explained. This will now be paired with Paradox's conversational AI for frontline workers and Flowise's AI agent-building capabilities."
"Rowe said the acquisitions of Sana, Paradox, and Flowise reflect Workday's disciplined approach to M&A. "We keep a very high hurdle on talent, team, technology, and cultural fit, and it's really a paradigm that has to fit perfectly; and that's how we think about our M&A strategy," he noted. Past integrations, such as Hiredscore and Evisort (acquired in 2024), have performed strongly, and Workday expects Sana to deliver similar value, Rowe said. Much of the anticipated success comes from cultural fit, he added. "It's truly the integration plan and how the cultures can work together and how we can embrace that with the leaders of these companies coming into Workday," he said. "That, candidly, is the most exciting part for me-to see these leaders still thrive within the company and do really great things.""
Workday agreed to acquire Swedish AI startup Sana for about $1.1 billion, with closing expected in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Sana's technology includes an intuitive user interface and foundational AI learning tools that align with Workday's platform for finance and HR. Workday will combine Sana with Paradox's conversational AI and Flowise's agent-building capabilities. CFO Zane Rowe emphasized a disciplined M&A approach that prioritizes talent, technology, team, and cultural fit. Past integrations such as Hiredscore and Evisort performed strongly, and Sana gains access to a global user base exceeding 75 million people.
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