The vibes in the air with the news
Somehow this photo of me smiling at Rising ended up on Workday’s website once. I was not smiling abut the demo, rest assured I was thinking about tacos.
Let’s talk about how we got here
Over the last few weeks, the market hasn’t just reacted to earnings.
It’s reacting to something bigger.
Everyone and their mom is a bit too optimistic about AI.
We’re watching foundational model companies consume historic levels of compute while memory supply is tightening.
And when that happens?
Application-layer software gets scrutinized.
Investors start asking questions: If generative AI can summarize workflows, draft policies, write code…
What happens to traditional enterprise systems?
Billion-dollar question.
When we see clickbait like “Claude AI replacing HR,” people start wondering if HRIS platforms are at risk.
Ouch
The timing honestly couldn’t have been tougher with the stock news.
And yes…. Workday stock trading near five-year lows raises eyebrows.
Especially for those of us who actually live inside these systems.
As AI narratives accelerated, the market wanted visible product evolution. Not to mention, execution.
Enter: leadership change.
But when I went to dig into it with an account rep and asked where we could realistically start, the answers weren’t clear. The ambition was there, but the execution plan was no where to be found.
As Aneel Bhusri said:
“No amount of vibe coding is going to produce an HR or ERP system.”
Thank God someone said it. Because ERP is not just some a chatbot. It’s home to payroll, compliance and audit exposure
Workday isn’t going anywhere.
Why I’m excited & not crashing out
When Howard Schultz came back to lead Starbucks, he didn’t just come back to smile and wave. One of his most notable strategic moves was the national rollout of Starbucks VIA, a premium instant coffee line. VIA was controversial internally because instant coffee had traditionally been seen as lower tier, yet it debuted into an already massive $17 billion global instant coffee market.
He also closed 900 stores and invested $40M in training and retaining staff. He came back to restore brand integrity. I think Workday might experience something similar.
When a founder steps back in during pressure, it usually means one thing: the company wants tighter execution and a clearer product story. It’s time to go back to our roots.
If the man who came back once before could create a cloud-native disruptor in an industry that was still using on-premise ERP, I think we are about to see some exciting changes.
And if you’re getting pressures to start automating your reporting, HRBench is helping shake up our industry in the best ways possible.
It’s an honor to be a part of this community, if you ever want me to address more topics, let’s hear it below!
your HRIS BFF 👠
If you haven’t explored HRBench yet, you’re missing out. They’re building tools for the same HR leaders this community was created for. 😉
Want a closer look? You can reach them at [email protected] or visit hrbench.com to book a demo.