Workday announced the deal in a press release on 13 October 2026. Terms were not disclosed.
Workday, which makes software for HR, finance and IT, has signed a definitive agreement to buy C1.ai, which it describes as “a leading agentic identity platform for people and agents” [1].
What is agentic identity?
Every worker needs logins and permissions for the apps they use: email, chat, code, finance systems. “Identity” software decides who gets access to what, and takes it away when they no longer need it.
AI agents, software that carries out tasks on its own, need access too. “Agentic identity” means treating each agent like a worker: giving it only the access it needs, watching what it can reach, and switching it off when its job ends. As Workday puts it, “An agent that was retired last quarter shouldn’t still be able to get in” [1].
C1.ai connects to systems such as email, CRM, code repositories, finance tools and cloud infrastructure, giving each person and agent “the right access at the right time and removing it the moment it’s no longer needed,” the release says [1].
Why Workday wants it
The release cites two figures. According to C1.ai’s own research, 95% of large US companies already run autonomous agents. According to Deloitte’s State of AI research, only 21% report having a mature way to govern them [1].
Workday argues that hiring, job changes and departures already happen in its software, so it is a natural place to switch access on and off. It says C1.ai will build on its existing Agent System of Record, going “beyond registering agents to also governing what they can access” [1].
“Today’s companies run on a combined workforce of people and AI agents,” said Gerrit Kazmaier, Workday’s president of product and technology [1].
“Enterprises can’t secure the AI era using yesterday’s IT tickets,” said Alex Bovee, C1.ai’s CEO and co-founder [1].
Deal details
- Price: not disclosed.
- Timing: expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday’s fiscal year 2027, which ends 31 January 2027, subject to customary conditions [1].
- Advisers: BofA Securities and Orrick for Workday; Qatalyst and Ashurst Perkins Coie for C1.ai [1].
What this means
- AI agents are becoming a security question. Each agent with access to company systems is another account that could be misused if no one is watching it.
- HR software is moving into access control. Workday wants to be the place that decides who and what gets in, not just who works there.
- The figures are claims. The 95% figure comes from C1.ai, the company being bought.
Sources
- Workday, “Workday to Acquire C1.ai, a Leading Agentic Identity Platform for People and Agents”, PR Newswire, 13 October 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/workday-to-acquire-c1ai-a-leading-agentic-identity-platform-for-people-and-agents-302906593.html
