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Workday and Sana: A New Era in Employee Experience

On September 16, 2025, Workday, Inc., a leader in enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, announced the completion of its acquisition of Sana, an innovative AI firm specializing in enterprise knowledge tools. This strategic move aims to create a revolutionary portal for businesses by integrating Sana's AI-powered search, agent, and learning features with Workday's comprehensive data capabilities, thus enhancing the employee experience.

Since its inception in 2016, Sana has pioneered AI solutions for the workplace, offering intuitive tools designed to unlock the potential of human capital. Its flagship products, Sana Learn and Sana Agents, have already been adopted by hundreds of companies, providing AI-driven learning and engagement to over a million users worldwide.

The integration of Sana into Workday is set to not only provide a groundbreaking new experience but also enable ongoing development and enhancement of Sana Learn and Sana Agents. Being part of Workday will accelerate Sana's growth, allowing for innovation that serves a larger customer base.

Transforming Workday Experience

By merging with Sana, Workday plans to design the “future workplace experience” where knowledge, data, and behaviors are seamlessly integrated. Powered by sophisticated AI agents, employees will benefit from greatly improved productivity. The capabilities of these AI agents include the following:

• - Search: Rapidly scanning key data sources such as Workday, Google Drive, SharePoint, and Office 365 for vital information and files.

• - Action: Forecasting needs, summarizing insights, and proactively assisting ongoing projects.

• - Creation: Building presentations, documents, dashboards, and comprehensive learning courses based on enterprise knowledge.

• - Automation: Streamlining repetitive tasks and executing end-to-end workflows.

Leveraging the unique data and context related to workforce and finance held by Workday, alongside a robust ecosystem of developers and partners, this personalization transforms what employees can expect in their day-to-day roles. For instance, recruiters will be able to create tailored dashboards for real-time monitoring of hiring pipelines or automate the entire performance review process, while also receiving proactive suggestions for onboarding new hires based on current assessment data.

Leading a New Era of Enterprise AI

Sana Agents significantly extend the capabilities of enterprise AI beyond mere search and chat features. With the platform's no-code agent builder, users can craft custom AI agents that automate routine tasks, effectively working on behalf of users. This efficiency supports workflow optimization while ensuring compliance with corporate policies through the Workday Agent System of Record.

Existing clients report considerable benefits from utilizing Sana Agents. A large U.S. manufacturer has seen business hours reduce by up to 95%, a multinational tech firm has improved productivity by 90%, and a global law firm has achieved over 60% reduction in operational hours along with 200% efficiency gains.

Advancing Employee Development with AI

Sana also stands at the forefront of leveraging AI in learning. Its AI-native platform, Sana Learn, integrates learning management, content creation, course generation, and personalized tutoring through specialized learning agents. Companies in several industries have experienced accelerated learning speeds thanks to Sana Learn. For instance, a global electric vehicle manufacturer reported a 275% increase in engagement through learning initiatives, and a leading European equipment sales firm reduced course creation time from four months to just four days. Moreover, a global fintech company shortened content creation from three weeks to only three hours.

By complementing Workday Learning with highly personalized skill-building features and large-scale AI-native content creation, Sana Learn enhances initiatives around employee reskilling and upskilling. This comprehensive learning solution, reinforced by AI-driven internal mobility tools from Workday's Talent Optimization and HiredScore, allows organizations to provide faster, more personalized learning experiences for their employees.

According to Gerrit Kazmaier, President of Product & Technology at Workday, "Sana's innovative team, AI-native approach, and aesthetically pleasing design align perfectly with our vision for reshaping how work is performed. This acquisition positions Workday as a new entry point for operations, maximizing advanced AI functionalities to deliver an active, personalized, and intelligent experience that fosters unparalleled AI utilization in the workplace."

Joel Hellermark, CEO and co-founder of Sana, expressed his excitement stating, "Our focus has consistently been on creating intuitive AI tools that inspire innovative approaches to learning and work. It’s a tremendous honor to partner with Workday’s exceptional team and introduce a new era of superintelligence to our joint users, representing 75 million people."

Josh Bersin, Global Industry Analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, remarked, "Sana is leading the way in expanding intelligent agents and AI-native learning platforms. These tools will significantly transform how Workday customers manage their employees' learning, growth, and workflows, enabling a paradigm shift toward a new breed of super-powered workers suited for the AI era."

Details of the Acquisition Proposal

Workday has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Sana for approximately $1.1 billion, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday's 2026 fiscal year, pending customary closing conditions. Workday’s financial advisor for this transaction is Allen & Company LLC, with Orrick serving as legal advisor, and DLA Piper representing Sana.

About Workday

Workday provides cloud-based enterprise solutions for finance and HR, integrating comprehensive data into a single intelligent platform that enhances quick adaptability, better decision-making, and critical outcomes across various organizations. Over 11,000 companies globally, spanning a range of industries from small to mid-sized to Fortune 500 organizations, utilize Workday’s services. For more information, visit Workday’s website.

About Sana

Sana is an AI company building next-generation knowledge tools, with over a million users relying on its products around the globe, serving reputable entities such as Merck and Polestar. For more details about Sana, visit sanalabs.com.

Future Outlook Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Workday's leadership, growth, transformation, and potential. These statements are based on current beliefs and expectations, making them inherently subject to uncertainties and risks. As such, actual results may materially differ due to unforeseen circumstances or deviations from initial assumptions.

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