Susie: AI isn't killing software businesses yet, but it might be officially killing hiring. Welcome to Earnings Unscripted, where, ironically, Workday, the absolute titan of human resources software, just delivered stellar contract growth and their CEO's immediate plan is to... essentially stop hiring humans. Today is May 21st, 2026, and we are breaking down Workday, ticker W D A Y, and their first quarter of fiscal 2027. So, the ultimate HR platform is replacing itself with AI.
Miro: The irony is definitely heavy. But the math works. Look, they build the core HR and finance systems for half the corporate world, but internally they are practically stripping out the engine block to get lighter. They brought in two-point-five-four billion in total revenue, up thirteen-point-five percent year-over-year. And subscription revenue held really strong at two-point-three-five billion.
Susie: Quick reminder before we get too deep, everything we discuss here is our personal opinion, not financial advice. But I mean, Miro, you have to explain this stock chart. The reaction today was completely disconnected from how the quarter actually felt.
Miro: It, yeah, it was a massive reversal. Because the stock had essentially been in freefall all quarter. Down roughly thirty percent since February, touching the low one-tens at one point. But the moment this print dropped in the extended session, the tape just went vertical. It held onto a solid six-point-eight percent gain after hours, closing around one-thirty-five-point-three-two.
Susie: Probably because of that bottom line, right? Earnings came in at two-sixty-six a share, well above expectations. Which makes perfect sense if you are flatlining your workforce while your top line is still growing thirteen percent. The margins just mechanically pop.
Miro: Exactly. Their non-GAAP operating margin expanded nicely to thirty-one-point-eight percent. It is, well, they actually ate a massive one hundred and sixty-six million dollar GAAP restructuring hit this quarter to get there. Meaning they actively cleared out management layers to force this lean operating leverage.
Susie: Right, because Aneel Bhusri is back as the sole CEO. And on the call he actually admitted to binge-watching old Steve Jobs tapes to learn how to flatten an org chart. He desperately wants this fifty billion dollar cloud giant acting like a scrappy startup. But is the new AI stuff actually selling, or are they just juicing margins with layoffs?
Miro: No, the demand is definitely there. Their new contract value for agentic AI tools just spiked over two hundred percent year-over-year. They are driving straight toward half a billion in AI recurring revenue. I mean, just their automated recruiting agent processed fourteen million standalone actions this quarter. It is not just a slide deck, it is real volume.
Susie: Wow. Okay, fourteen million ghost recruiters basically running in the background while the real headcount stays flat. We really need to unpack how this is physically rewiring their margin structure and what it means for their massive cash burn. Let's get into the details.Miro: Yeah, let's look at that cash burn because it is, well, it's honestly a little wild when you piece the balance sheet together. They generated six hundred sixteen million in free cash flow, which is great. Up forty-six percent. But they went out and spent one-point-six billion repurchasing twelve million shares in a single quarter.
Susie: Wait, one-point-six billion? So they just evaporated, what, roughly twenty percent of their total cash stack?
Miro: Exactly. Their cash and marketable securities dropped from five-point-four billion down to roughly four-point-three. And here is the kicker, they have a billion dollars in senior notes that just shifted to current liabilities because they mature next April. So short-term debt spikes from practically zero to a billion, while they are aggressively buying back stock at the top.
Susie: That’s, I mean, that is a serious statement of faith. You don't burn a billion and a half of your liquidity cushion with current debt looming unless you are violently confident in the underlying cash machine.
Miro: Right. It is capital allocation as a structural flex. And I think the reason they are so confident is buried in a comment from Gerrit Kazmaier, their President. He was talking about this new Deployment Agent they just launched.
Susie: Oh, right. Because traditionally, deploying Workday for a big enterprise is, I mean it's notorious. It takes an army of consultants and takes forever to integrate.
Miro: It's brutal. It's expensive and slow. But Kazmaier drops this quote, and I quote, "The mission statement itself is the zero-dollar deployment of Workday in a month."
Susie: I’m sorry, zero dollars? The external consulting partners must have choked on their coffee hearing that.
Miro: Oh, absolutely. They are already estimating a thirty percent reduction in deployment time right now, aiming for fifty. By using AI to automate the software migration, they are essentially short-circuiting the system integrators who normally make millions manually mapping all that HR data.
Susie: That actually explains the University of Arkansas anecdote they used on the call.
Miro: Right, the twenty-one institutions.
Susie: Exactly. They process something like two million transactions a month, and instead of hiring outside consultants for manual configuration, they just used this Deployment Agent. So Workday isn't just selling software, they are actively eating their own deployment ecosystem to lower the barrier to entry.
Miro: It is a brilliant systemic play. By making the deployment practically free, you completely flip the total cost of ownership. You remove the single biggest friction point for a mid-market or enterprise customer.
Susie: Yeah, if I don't have to pay a big firm ten million dollars just to install the thing, the ROI on the subscription completely changes.
Miro: Exactly. But they are taking a massive structural risk elsewhere. It is not just about setup. They are completely ripping out the front door of the software.
Susie: Are you talking about the Sana acquisition?
Miro: Yeah. So they bought this native AI knowledge platform, Sana, late last year. And Kazmaier confirmed that by the end of May, Sana essentially becomes the default user interface for all AI-enabled customers. They integrated an acquired architecture in six months and are forcing a massive UI migration.
Susie: That is blazingly fast for an enterprise system. I mean, switching a core HR interface in six months sounds terrifying for corporate security.
Miro: It's extremely dangerous. Enterprise software switchovers are where companies lose data or break payroll. But it fits Bhusri's whole refounding mentality. They are running this thing with startup velocity now.
Susie: Which brings a whole new meaning to moving fast and breaking things, especially when you hold everyone's payroll. So where does this leave them heading into the back half of the year, with vanished consultants and a brand new interface?Miro: Well, they're not exactly dialing back expectations. I mean, Zane Rowe just guided second quarter subscription revenue to roughly two-point-four-five billion. That keeps their thirteen percent growth rate perfectly intact. And they actually bumped their full year operating margin target up to thirty-point-five percent.
Susie: Which, if you think about it, completely tracks with that flat headcount aspiration we talked about. If the human workforce flatlines but the software revenue keeps compounding... I mean, that margin expansion is just gravity at that point.
Miro: Yeah, it's basically a margin cheat code if they can actually execute it. But there is a much wider theme here for the whole software cycle. Because Bhusri explicitly said AI resets competitive boundaries, and they are not playing it safe anymore.
Susie: Okay, but what does not playing it safe actually mean for them? They already own the core HR and finance systems for practically everyone.
Miro: They are leaving the core island. They rolled out a Sana Travel Agent, and they are directly taking on ITSM.
Susie: Wait, IT service management? Like the ticketing and helpdesk systems?
Miro: Right. They figured out that since they already hold the foundational employee data, they can just build native AI apps that bypass all the sprawling adjacent software vendors. They are going straight after the entire corporate toolkit.
Susie: That is a scary thought if you are an independent app sitting on top of their ecosystem right now. The landlord is basically deciding to open up their own coffee shop in the lobby.
Miro: Exactly. So the big thing to watch next quarter is whether they can actually digest this level of ambition. Fusing a new UI by May, attacking entirely new verticals, and, you know, evaporating a billion and a half on buybacks. It is a wildly aggressive roadmap.
Susie: It really is. It feels like this whole refounding narrative is either going to cement them as the absolute monopoly of corporate data, or it might just collapse under its own velocity.
Miro: Well, what is a fifty-billion-dollar startup without a little existential risk?
Susie: Exactly. We will definitely be watching how fast those Flex Credits actually get adopted next quarter to see if the math holds up. But I think that is a good place to pause, Miro.
Miro: Yeah, sounds good to me.Susie: If you want these earnings deep dives to just show up in your feed, go ahead and follow the show. We actually build this podcast using AI tools to parse through those massive earnings call transcripts so we can just bring you the real story. If you have a ticker you want us to dig into next, definitely drop us a line at earningsunscripted@datamadness.ca, or just grab the X link in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you after the next call.
Miro: See you out there.
Miro: The irony is definitely heavy. But the math works. Look, they build the core HR and finance systems for half the corporate world, but internally they are practically stripping out the engine block to get lighter. They brought in two-point-five-four billion in total revenue, up thirteen-point-five percent year-over-year. And subscription revenue held really strong at two-point-three-five billion.
Susie: Quick reminder before we get too deep, everything we discuss here is our personal opinion, not financial advice. But I mean, Miro, you have to explain this stock chart. The reaction today was completely disconnected from how the quarter actually felt.
Miro: It, yeah, it was a massive reversal. Because the stock had essentially been in freefall all quarter. Down roughly thirty percent since February, touching the low one-tens at one point. But the moment this print dropped in the extended session, the tape just went vertical. It held onto a solid six-point-eight percent gain after hours, closing around one-thirty-five-point-three-two.
Susie: Probably because of that bottom line, right? Earnings came in at two-sixty-six a share, well above expectations. Which makes perfect sense if you are flatlining your workforce while your top line is still growing thirteen percent. The margins just mechanically pop.
Miro: Exactly. Their non-GAAP operating margin expanded nicely to thirty-one-point-eight percent. It is, well, they actually ate a massive one hundred and sixty-six million dollar GAAP restructuring hit this quarter to get there. Meaning they actively cleared out management layers to force this lean operating leverage.
Susie: Right, because Aneel Bhusri is back as the sole CEO. And on the call he actually admitted to binge-watching old Steve Jobs tapes to learn how to flatten an org chart. He desperately wants this fifty billion dollar cloud giant acting like a scrappy startup. But is the new AI stuff actually selling, or are they just juicing margins with layoffs?
Miro: No, the demand is definitely there. Their new contract value for agentic AI tools just spiked over two hundred percent year-over-year. They are driving straight toward half a billion in AI recurring revenue. I mean, just their automated recruiting agent processed fourteen million standalone actions this quarter. It is not just a slide deck, it is real volume.
Susie: Wow. Okay, fourteen million ghost recruiters basically running in the background while the real headcount stays flat. We really need to unpack how this is physically rewiring their margin structure and what it means for their massive cash burn. Let's get into the details.Miro: Yeah, let's look at that cash burn because it is, well, it's honestly a little wild when you piece the balance sheet together. They generated six hundred sixteen million in free cash flow, which is great. Up forty-six percent. But they went out and spent one-point-six billion repurchasing twelve million shares in a single quarter.
Susie: Wait, one-point-six billion? So they just evaporated, what, roughly twenty percent of their total cash stack?
Miro: Exactly. Their cash and marketable securities dropped from five-point-four billion down to roughly four-point-three. And here is the kicker, they have a billion dollars in senior notes that just shifted to current liabilities because they mature next April. So short-term debt spikes from practically zero to a billion, while they are aggressively buying back stock at the top.
Susie: That’s, I mean, that is a serious statement of faith. You don't burn a billion and a half of your liquidity cushion with current debt looming unless you are violently confident in the underlying cash machine.
Miro: Right. It is capital allocation as a structural flex. And I think the reason they are so confident is buried in a comment from Gerrit Kazmaier, their President. He was talking about this new Deployment Agent they just launched.
Susie: Oh, right. Because traditionally, deploying Workday for a big enterprise is, I mean it's notorious. It takes an army of consultants and takes forever to integrate.
Miro: It's brutal. It's expensive and slow. But Kazmaier drops this quote, and I quote, "The mission statement itself is the zero-dollar deployment of Workday in a month."
Susie: I’m sorry, zero dollars? The external consulting partners must have choked on their coffee hearing that.
Miro: Oh, absolutely. They are already estimating a thirty percent reduction in deployment time right now, aiming for fifty. By using AI to automate the software migration, they are essentially short-circuiting the system integrators who normally make millions manually mapping all that HR data.
Susie: That actually explains the University of Arkansas anecdote they used on the call.
Miro: Right, the twenty-one institutions.
Susie: Exactly. They process something like two million transactions a month, and instead of hiring outside consultants for manual configuration, they just used this Deployment Agent. So Workday isn't just selling software, they are actively eating their own deployment ecosystem to lower the barrier to entry.
Miro: It is a brilliant systemic play. By making the deployment practically free, you completely flip the total cost of ownership. You remove the single biggest friction point for a mid-market or enterprise customer.
Susie: Yeah, if I don't have to pay a big firm ten million dollars just to install the thing, the ROI on the subscription completely changes.
Miro: Exactly. But they are taking a massive structural risk elsewhere. It is not just about setup. They are completely ripping out the front door of the software.
Susie: Are you talking about the Sana acquisition?
Miro: Yeah. So they bought this native AI knowledge platform, Sana, late last year. And Kazmaier confirmed that by the end of May, Sana essentially becomes the default user interface for all AI-enabled customers. They integrated an acquired architecture in six months and are forcing a massive UI migration.
Susie: That is blazingly fast for an enterprise system. I mean, switching a core HR interface in six months sounds terrifying for corporate security.
Miro: It's extremely dangerous. Enterprise software switchovers are where companies lose data or break payroll. But it fits Bhusri's whole refounding mentality. They are running this thing with startup velocity now.
Susie: Which brings a whole new meaning to moving fast and breaking things, especially when you hold everyone's payroll. So where does this leave them heading into the back half of the year, with vanished consultants and a brand new interface?Miro: Well, they're not exactly dialing back expectations. I mean, Zane Rowe just guided second quarter subscription revenue to roughly two-point-four-five billion. That keeps their thirteen percent growth rate perfectly intact. And they actually bumped their full year operating margin target up to thirty-point-five percent.
Susie: Which, if you think about it, completely tracks with that flat headcount aspiration we talked about. If the human workforce flatlines but the software revenue keeps compounding... I mean, that margin expansion is just gravity at that point.
Miro: Yeah, it's basically a margin cheat code if they can actually execute it. But there is a much wider theme here for the whole software cycle. Because Bhusri explicitly said AI resets competitive boundaries, and they are not playing it safe anymore.
Susie: Okay, but what does not playing it safe actually mean for them? They already own the core HR and finance systems for practically everyone.
Miro: They are leaving the core island. They rolled out a Sana Travel Agent, and they are directly taking on ITSM.
Susie: Wait, IT service management? Like the ticketing and helpdesk systems?
Miro: Right. They figured out that since they already hold the foundational employee data, they can just build native AI apps that bypass all the sprawling adjacent software vendors. They are going straight after the entire corporate toolkit.
Susie: That is a scary thought if you are an independent app sitting on top of their ecosystem right now. The landlord is basically deciding to open up their own coffee shop in the lobby.
Miro: Exactly. So the big thing to watch next quarter is whether they can actually digest this level of ambition. Fusing a new UI by May, attacking entirely new verticals, and, you know, evaporating a billion and a half on buybacks. It is a wildly aggressive roadmap.
Susie: It really is. It feels like this whole refounding narrative is either going to cement them as the absolute monopoly of corporate data, or it might just collapse under its own velocity.
Miro: Well, what is a fifty-billion-dollar startup without a little existential risk?
Susie: Exactly. We will definitely be watching how fast those Flex Credits actually get adopted next quarter to see if the math holds up. But I think that is a good place to pause, Miro.
Miro: Yeah, sounds good to me.Susie: If you want these earnings deep dives to just show up in your feed, go ahead and follow the show. We actually build this podcast using AI tools to parse through those massive earnings call transcripts so we can just bring you the real story. If you have a ticker you want us to dig into next, definitely drop us a line at earningsunscripted@datamadness.ca, or just grab the X link in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you after the next call.
Miro: See you out there.
