Enterprise Software News & Analysis — The Information

Recent Articles about Enterprise Software

Art by Mike Sullivan

M&A Buzz Centers on Data Software Startups

By Alix Coutures · Jul 16, 2026 4:31pm PDT

We just published our list of more than 160 enterprise software startups that could be acquired this year. To compile it, we screened hundreds of privately held companies and singled out those worth more than $1 billion that haven't raised a publicly announced financing since June 2024. To understand the M&A forces across enterprise... We just published our list of more than 160 enterprise software startups that could be acquired...

Art via Shutterstock

AI Customers Negotiate a SaaS Escape Hatch

By Laura Bratton and Aaron Holmes · May 21, 2026 11:47am PDT

Businesses used to feel locked in to their enterprise software providers, but some now say they can cut and run if they need to.Companies such as insurer National Life Group, for instance, have negotiated “opt out” provisions that let them exit their software contracts or reduce their subscriptions, even in the middle of a contract term, if the... Businesses used to feel locked in to their enterprise software providers, but some now say they...

CEO of Palantir Technologies Alex Karp speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026 Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images

Palantir’s AI Boom; Ryan Cohen’s Chutzpah

By Martin Peers · May 4, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Is Palantir soaking up all the growth in the enterprise software sector? That seems like a reasonable question judging by the company’s first-quarter results released on Monday, which showed 85% revenue growth. That’s an astounding growth rate for a business that’s 23 years old. Even better, Palantir turns a lot of that revenue into pure cash.... Is Palantir soaking up all the growth in the enterprise software sector? That seems like a...

Arif Janmohamed. Screenshot via YouTube/The Fabric.

Lightspeed Partner Behind Navan, Netskope to Launch New Firm

By Katie Roof · Feb 13, 2026 10:49am PST

Arif Janmohamed. Screenshot via YouTube/The Fabric.

Lightspeed Partner Behind Navan, Netskope to Launch New Firm

By Katie Roof · Feb 13, 2026 10:49am PST

Lightspeed Venture Partners’ Arif Janmohamed, one of the firm’s leading enterprise software investors, is reducing his involvement to launch a new early stage investment firm later this year, he said. Janmohamed joined Lightspeed in 2008 as one of its first employees and became a partner four years later. He is the latest in a wave of veteran VC... Lightspeed Venture Partners’ Arif Janmohamed, one of the firm’s leading enterprise software...

Aneel Bhusri, CEO of Workday. Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images.

Workday’s CEO Shuffle Is a Sign of Things to Come

By Martin Peers · Feb 9, 2026 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Last week’s sell-off in software stocks is having an impact. Enterprise software firm Workday revealed Monday it had replaced its CEO, Carl Eschenbach, with co-founder and former CEO Aneel Bhusri, who is returning “to lead the company’s next chapter.” Bhusri, to be clear, has led the company for most of its chapters, having been either co-CEO or... Last week’s sell-off in software stocks is having an impact. Enterprise software firm Workday...

How OpenAI’s Bids For Enterprise, Ad Dollars Could Play Out

By The Information Staff · Jan 28, 2026 12:32pm PST

OpenAI’s push beyond selling AI models and into enterprise software and digital advertising marks a shift in where power and profits could accrue in the tech industry. As the company moves into markets long dominated by established software vendors, consultancies and ad platforms, its expansion raises questions about which incumbents are most... OpenAI’s push beyond selling AI models and into enterprise software and digital advertising marks...

Larry Page. Photo via Getty

Why is Google’s Owner Developing AI Outside of Google?; DeepSeek Gets Microsoft’s Attention

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 10, 2025 7:00am PDT

ServiceNow is buying AI startup Moveworks for $2.85 billion, the enterprise software firm announced first thing this morning, an effort by ServiceNow to get a jump on agent-powered services. We included Moveworks in our Generative AI Takeover List, which you can see here. And now on to the rest of the column…We’ve written a lot about how... ServiceNow is buying AI startup Moveworks for $2.85 billion, the enterprise software firm...

Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Unbundles Teams—Are Customers Better Off?

By Martin Peers · Apr 1, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Unbundles Teams—Are Customers Better Off?

By Martin Peers · Apr 1, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

We got big news today from the world of enterprise software. Microsoft has decided to stop including its Teams feature, a rival to Slack and Zoom Video, by default in its Office suite of software services, at least for new customers. The software giant made this change in Europe last summer, after a regulatory inquiry in its Teams bundling... We got big news today from the world of enterprise software. Microsoft has decided to stop...

Ali Ghodsi. Photo via YouTube.

Databricks CEO On What It Takes to Turn LLMs Into a Big Business

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 14, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Ali Ghodsi, the CEO of Databricks, a $43 billion-valuation enterprise software firm, had lots to say about OpenAI and the potential challenges it faces in a conference call with The Information subscribers yesterday. (One new challenge it's likely wrestling with is the departure of high-profile researcher Andrej Karpathy, as we scooped... Ali Ghodsi, the CEO of Databricks, a $43 billion-valuation enterprise software firm, had lots to...

Photo via Cohesity

In Battle of Ransomware Protectors, One Firm Burns a Lot of Cash, Another Preps an IPO

By Maria Heeter, Anissa Gardizy and Kate Clark · Jun 23, 2023 6:00am PDT

Four years ago, one of the most intense battles in enterprise software was underway between two startups led by former colleagues: Rubrik and Cohesity. They help businesses manage data, and they also market themselves as offering protection against ransomware attacks. At the time, Rubrik was clearly in the lead, but Cohesity was growing faster... Four years ago, one of the most intense battles in enterprise software was underway between two...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Haziness in Microsoft’s Cloud Numbers

By Martin Peers · Sep 20, 2022 12:16pm PDT · 2 comments

Here’s a quick question for enterprise software acolytes out there: which tech giant is bigger in cloud, Microsoft or Amazon? It depends. Microsoft says total revenue for “Microsoft Cloud” was $91 billion in the year to June, which is significantly more than AWS’ $72 billion for the same 12-month period. But the... Here’s a quick question for enterprise software acolytes out there: which tech giant is...

Sensors Data CEO, Sang Wenfeng. Photo by Sensors Data.

Five Startups Bidding to Be China’s SaaS Stars

By Yunan Zhang and Shai Oster · May 12, 2020 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

Sensors Data CEO, Sang Wenfeng. Photo by Sensors Data.

Five Startups Bidding to Be China’s SaaS Stars

By Yunan Zhang and Shai Oster · May 12, 2020 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

So far, China hasn’t spawned any breakout enterprise software companies as successful as Salesforce.com and others of its kind. But venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the country are more determined than ever to build one. The weekslong lockdown prompted by the coronavirus forced millions of people in China to work remotely in... So far, China hasn’t spawned any breakout enterprise software companies as successful as...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Salesforce Stock Has Lost its Edge

By Ross Matican · Jul 23, 2019 7:01am PDT

Salesforce, once the fast-moving disrupter of the enterprise software sector, is showing its age.After years of outperforming the broader tech sector, Salesforce shares are up just 6% in the past six months while the Nasdaq is up 17%. That likely reflects a worry among investors that a slowing growth rate is prompting Salesforce to make bigger... Salesforce, once the fast-moving disrupter of the enterprise software sector, is showing its age....

SAP CEO Bill McDermott. Photo by Bloomberg

Q&A

SAP Passes Cloud Barrier, Targets Salesforce

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 14, 2018 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

As the old guard of enterprise software such as Microsoft and Oracle reinvented themselves for the cloud market in recent years, SAP took its time. Companies used its software for handling sensitive areas like supply chain management and finance, which made them reluctant to put it into the public cloud. But the German firm, the third largest... As the old guard of enterprise software such as Microsoft and Oracle reinvented themselves for...