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Workday wants to buy into the AI boom โ€” without overpaying
Yahoo Financeยท 2025-10-22 17:42
Core Viewpoint - Workday's CEO Carl Eschenbach believes the current AI boom is overheated, but sees it as an opportunity for the company to acquire undervalued firms [1] Acquisitions and Strategy - Workday has made five AI acquisitions in under two years, with three occurring in the last three months, including Paradox, Sana, and Flowise [1] - The company is actively seeking more acquisition opportunities but emphasizes the importance of not overpaying and ensuring that targets align with their go-to-market strategy [2] Product Development - Workday has launched a custom AI library aimed at processing unstructured data, such as contracts, more efficiently [2] - One application of this technology is a contract negotiation agent that automates the comparison of terms and revisions, significantly reducing the time required for such tasks [3] Pricing Model - The company is introducing a new pricing model based on "flex credits," allowing customers to prepay for a pool of credits to use across its AI agents, rather than a traditional seat-based model [3][4] Differentiation and Market Position - Eschenbach highlights Workday's unique position with 75 million users and 1 trillion annual transactions, which he believes differentiates the company from general AI platforms like OpenAI [4] - The CEO asserts that AI will enhance human productivity rather than replace jobs, countering the narrative of mass layoffs due to AI advancements [4][5] Market Performance and Analyst Outlook - Workday's stock has decreased by approximately 4% year-to-date as investors await tangible growth from the company's AI initiatives [5] - Analyst Kirk Materne from Evercore ISI has raised Workday's price target from $275 to $300, indicating a cautiously optimistic outlook based on the company's evolving platform and strategic acquisitions [6]