Carl Eschenbach on enterprise sales
From Transforming Customer Experience with AI: Ping Wu, Doug Leone & Carl Eschenbach · · Cresta
“I think there are three value propositions when selling into the enterprise after almost 40 years of experience doing so that resonate with the customer. Number one, can you deliver a strong ROI? ... The second, can you help drive topline revenue growth and can you measure it? ... And the third area that enterprises buy is risk. Can you reduce risk?”
On , Carl Eschenbach, Chief Executive Officer & Director at Workday, Inc., spoke about enterprise sales during Transforming Customer Experience with AI: Ping Wu, Doug Leone & Carl Eschenbach on Cresta.
About Carl Eschenbach
Carl Eschenbach, CEO of Workday, has been discussing the company's AI strategy and financial performance in recent earnings calls and public appearances. In a June 2026 conversation with Cresta CEO Ping Wu and Sequoia Chairman Doug Leone, Eschenbach described the current technological shift as "the fastest largest tectonic shift we've ever experienced" and argued that AI presents an opportunity to "amplify human potential, not just replace it." He outlined three value propositions for enterprise sales: delivering a strong ROI, driving topline revenue growth, and reducing risk. Eschenbach also stated that concerns about AI disrupting seat-based models are "completely overblown," asserting that Workday's data quality and security give it an advantage. Under Eschenbach's leadership, Workday reported subscription revenue growth of 13% in Q1 FY2026 and raised its full-year subscription revenue guidance to $8.815 billion in Q2. The company announced the acquisition of Paradox, a conversational AI platform for candidate experience, and launched Workday Government, a subsidiary focused on U.S. federal customers. Eschenbach noted that new ACV across Workday's AI products more than doubled year-over-year in Q1, and that roughly 25% of customer expansions included AI products. He also stated that the company plans to repurchase an additional $3.6 billion in shares through the end of FY27.