Workday is the #2 most successful SaaS company of all time, founded by two of the most successful enterprise software entrepreneurs of all time, and rocketed to a record IPO and non-stop success since then.
Workday is regularly closing seven and eight figure deals, is doing $1.25b+ ARR, and was growing 90% at $250m ARR when it IPO’d.
Still, Workday is kind of sleepy.
I think for two reasons:
- It is based in Pleasanton. Pleasanton was and still is a hub of enterprise software, but as San Francisco has become the nexus of the next-generation of start-ups, and the Peninsula the nexus of the past generation … and Oakland perhaps the hipster alternative … Pleasanton isn’t really in the high-profile loop.
- It’s not focused on being an open platform. Unlike Salesforce or Facebook or even Twilio or Box, Workday doesn’t have a platform as a key focus. When you do, you have to be constantly promoting it.
- Broad-based PR doesn’t seem to be part of their strategy. Which clearly, it doesn’t need to be. Workday isn’t Snapchat.
