Workday agrees to buy C1.ai to add identity governance for people and AI agents

Workday is adding an identity layer aimed at humans and software agents alike. The HR and finance software company said it signed a definitive agreement to acquire C1.ai, which it described as a leading agentic identity platform for people and agents, according to a regulatory filing Monday.

The deal was announced from Workday Rising 2026 in Las Vegas on Oct. 13. Workday shares closed at $186.02 that day, down about 1.2% from Friday's close.

What Workday is buying

C1.ai, also identified in the filing as ConductorOne, Inc., connects to systems companies already run — from email and CRM to code repositories, finance tools, and cloud infrastructure — so each person and agent gets access when needed and loses it when they do not, the company said.

Workday argued that most organizations still manage access through tickets, spreadsheets, and periodic reviews as workers join, move, and leave, and that the rise of AI agents has made the problem sharper. It cited C1.ai research that 95% of large U.S. companies already run autonomous agents, and Deloitte's State of AI research finding that only 21% report a mature way to govern them.

With C1.ai, Workday said it will become the identity governance layer for people, money, and agents on top of the Workday Agent System of Record it already uses to register and manage agents.

"Today's companies run on a combined workforce of people and AI agents," Gerrit Kazmaier, Workday's president of product and technology, said in the release. C1.ai CEO and co-founder Alex Bovee said bringing that governance into Workday's core would let companies manage access for every human and agent in real time.

Timing and terms

Workday did not disclose a purchase price. It expects the transaction to close in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2027, which ends Jan. 31, 2027, subject to customary closing conditions.

BofA Securities is financial advisor to Workday and Orrick is legal advisor. Qatalyst is financial advisor to C1.ai, with Ashurst Perkins Coie as legal advisor.

By the numbers

• Deal status: definitive agreement signed; price not disclosed
• Expected close: Workday fiscal Q4 2027 (year ending Jan. 31, 2027)
• Workday customers cited: more than 11,500 organizations, including more than 65% of the Fortune 500

Sources

1. Workday, Inc., Form 8-K, Item 8.01, Oct. 13, 2026 (accession 0001327811-26-000051)
2. Workday, Inc., Exhibit 99.1 press release, Oct. 13, 2026 (accession 0001327811-26-000051)

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