#United States #Atlanta #Finance #Excel #Datarails

Finance Professionals Rally to Defend Excel

On June 4, 2025, finance professionals united outside the Georgia World Congress Center to express their support for Microsoft Excel, which has been targeted by claims of obsolescence in recent social media discourse. The event, dubbed the "Save Our Sheets" rally, aimed to counter a rising narrative suggesting that Excel is no longer viable in the modern data landscape.

Protesters brandished colorful placards with slogans like "Get Your Hands off Our Sheets" and "You Can Take my Excel from my Cold Dead Hands," reflecting their commitment to preserving the legacy of the iconic spreadsheet application. The rally was organized by Datarails, a prominent player in Financial Planning and Analysis (FPA) solutions for Excel users, and it attracted numerous finance professionals keen to defend the tool that has been a staple of their industry for over four decades.

Growing Anti-Excel Sentiment

The timing of the protest coincides with a startling increase in social media chatter, where mentions of Excel being "dead" surged by 200% in 2025 versus the previous year. This uptrend includes claims from various sources on platforms like Reddit, X, and YouTube, with one particular video stating that "Excel is dead" in favor of AI-driven alternatives.

Datarails' analysis illustrated a significant spike in claims from just 13 mentions in 2024 to 39 in 2025. Moreover, alternative solutions claiming to replace Excel are emerging, including tools that promise rapid automation of tasks that previously required manual entry. This narrative poses potential challenges for Excel's continued use within finance departments, which are accustomed to the software's robustness and versatility.

The Reality of Excel in the Workplace

Empirically, the perception that Excel may be losing supremacy is not supported by hiring patterns in the financial sector. A recent study from Datarails revealed that Excel is still a critical skill listed in 42% of job roles in CFO offices across the United States as reported in January 2025. Specifically for Financial Planning and Analysis roles, this requirement jumps to an impressive 84%. This data contradicts the narrative of Excel's impending demise.

The demonstrators were well-aware that the faction opposing Excel is not particularly large, yet they were adamant in their mission to refute what they consider unfounded criticism of the software's capabilities.

Voices from the Rally

One notable figure at the protest was Annette DeYoung, Principal Solutions Consultant at Datarails, who brings over 20 years of experience in the finance sector. DeYoung stated, "Excel has been an essential part of my professional journey—from detailed budgeting to high-stakes forecasting. It’s more than just a spreadsheet; it's a critical thinking tool that has empowered finance teams for decades. Dismissing it as outdated overlooks the precision, flexibility, and depth it brings to our work. This rally is a statement from finance professionals everywhere that we stand by the tools that have helped us drive clarity, strategy, and results."

Conclusion

The "Save Our Sheets" rally serves not only as a response to the increasing criticism leveled against Excel but also as a celebration of its enduring legacy and usefulness in today’s evolving financial landscape. As finance professionals continue to navigate complex data and analytics, tools like Excel remain indispensable, often steering organizations towards informed decision-making. Ultimately, this event reinforces the notion that even in the face of emerging technologies, established tools such as Excel maintain a devoted following, ensuring they will not fade quietly into obscurity.

As the discussions around the relevance of Excel grow, the rally participants remind us that while innovation is essential, the importance of tradition and reliability in finance should not be underestimated.