Workday and Sana announce that they have reached an agreement for the US company to acquire the Swedish company for approximately $1.1 billion. Sana specialises in artificial intelligence focused on workplace learning, agents and knowledge management, and its integration will transform the Workday platform by improving the way employees interact, learn and automate tasks within their organisations.
Sana’s main products include Sana Learn and Sana Agents, which serve over one million business users and will continue to operate and grow as part of Workday. With Sana’s technology, Workday users will be able to: instantly search multiple data sources (Workday, Google Drive, SharePoint, Office365) for answers, documents, and files; act on real-time information, automate routine tasks, and provide assistance with complex projects using artificial intelligence-powered agents; create custom dashboards, presentations, and even complete training courses based on business knowledge, making workplace learning dynamic and responsive.
The acquisition marks a significant move for Workday to reinvent its architecture and user experience, entering into direct competition with other enterprise AI platforms such as SAP Joule, ADP Assist, and Oracle’s AI World. Workday aims to leverage Sana’s native AI approach to make learning, information discovery, and task automation intuitive, chat-based, and deeply integrated into everyday workflows. This move positions Workday as one of the leading providers of AI-powered, employee-centric enterprise tools for the future of work.
Workday’s acquisition of Sana represents a significant evolution in enterprise AI, with the goal of unifying knowledge, learning and workflow automation on a single platform for millions of users worldwide.
In a statement, Joel Hellermark, founder and CEO of Sana, said: “Sana has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Workday, so that we can accelerate our mission. We will continue to develop Sana Agents and Sana Learn at an even faster pace. I will continue to lead our team as we expand our ambitions. Sana was founded on one thesis: by promoting knowledge, we promote everything else. From writing and printing to the Internet and Google, the tools that have accelerated access to knowledge have catalysed human progress. So far, our artificial intelligence tools have changed the way more than a million people learn and work in hundreds of companies. We believe we can achieve our goal much faster thanks to our plan to join forces with Workday and bring our products to more than 75 million users. Together, we want to reinvent the way everyone does their job. Workday is experienced, values-driven, and determined to lead the next paradigm shift in how the world works with AI. Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach has an exceptional track record, and I look forward to learning from him. Sana has always placed equal importance on the team we build and the products we make. From day one, we said we wanted to create a place where talented and humble people could come and do the work of their lives, and that ambition remains. Sana is nothing without people, and that includes you: all of our partners, friends, investors, and supporters. You have been on this journey with us, inspiring us and pushing us to continually improve.
“Being part of the small founding team of five people who built Sana from scratch and seeing this $1.1 billion acquisition today, the largest AI deal in Europe, is the greatest satisfaction of my life. It also demonstrates that Italian talent can play a leading role in major European and global technological stories,” Valentino Pacifici, who helped launch and grow the Swedish scale-up and is its chief operating officer, tells Startupbusiness. He added in a LinkedIn post: “It took immense discipline, problem-solving skills and grit from many hungry Sanians. We built a place where Sanians can do the work of their lives: a team, a culture and tools that have reinvented the way over a million people learn and work. Over the past few months, we have had the privilege of getting to know Workday’s leadership. They have examined every aspect and really appreciate what they have found. I am excited to be working alongside Peter Bailis, Aneel Bhusri, Carl Eschenbach, Gerrit Kazmaier and their nearly 20,000 colleagues.” (pictured: the Sana team)
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