Automation Anywhere vs ServiceNow: Founders, CEOs and History
Automation Anywhere was founded in 2003 by Mihir Shukla, Ankur Kothari, Neeti Mehta Shukla and is led by Mihir Shukla. ServiceNow was founded in 2003 by Fred Luddy and is led by Bill McDermott.
Company facts
Automation Anywhere
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Mihir Shukla
- Employees
- 2,400
ServiceNow
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Bill McDermott
- Employees
- 29,187
Founders
Automation Anywhere
Mihir Shukla
Mihir Shukla is co-founder, chief executive officer and board chair of Automation Anywhere, and the only chief executive the company has had.
Ankur Kothari
Ankur Kothari is a co-founder of Automation Anywhere and its chief operating officer, and sits on the board.
Neeti Mehta Shukla
Neeti Mehta Shukla is a co-founder of Automation Anywhere and its chief impact officer. She started the company in 2003 with her husband, Mihir Shukla, alongside Ankur Kothari and Rushabh Parmani, launching it from the guest bedroom of their house.
Rushabh Parmani
Rushabh Parmani is a co-founder of Automation Anywhere and its chief customer officer. He started the business in 2003, originally named Tethys Solutions, alongside Mihir Shukla, Neeti Mehta Shukla and Ankur Kothari.
ServiceNow
Fred Luddy
Fred Luddy is an American software engineer who founded ServiceNow in 2003 under the name Glidesoft. He had previously served as chief technology officer of Peregrine Systems, a San Diego IT management software vendor.
CEOs and their tenures
Automation Anywhere
- Mihir Shukla2003–present
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair
Co-founded the company in 2003, has been its only chief executive, and is also board chair. Serves as an information and communications technology governor at the World Economic Forum, where he speaks on agentic enterprise operations.
Source
ServiceNow
- Fred Luddy2003–2011
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Designed the original platform and led the company until 2011.
Source - Frank Slootman2011–2017
Chief Executive Officer
Took ServiceNow public on the NYSE in 2012.
Source - John Donahoe2017–2019
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive of ServiceNow from 2017 to 2019 before leaving to become CEO of Nike.
Source - Bill McDermott2019–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Revenue grew from $3.46 billion in 2019 to $13.278 billion in 2025 under his leadership.
Source - Gina Mastantuono2020–present
President and Chief Financial Officer
Leads finance, guidance and capital allocation, including the share repurchase program.
Source
Timeline: Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow side by side
2003Automation Anywhere
Incorporation as Tethys Solutions in San Jose: Mihir Shukla, Neeti Mehta Shukla, Ankur Kothari and Rushabh Parmani incorporated Tethys Solutions, LLC in San Jose, California, selling software that rec…
2003ServiceNow
ServiceNow founded
Fred Luddy founded the company that became ServiceNow with a cloud-native IT service management vision.
2010Automation Anywhere
Renamed Automation Anywhere, Inc.: The company rebranded from Tethys Solutions to Automation Anywhere, Inc.
2012ServiceNow
Initial public offering
ServiceNow went public on the New York Stock Exchange under NOW.
2017Automation Anywhere
First Imagine customer conference: Automation Anywhere held its first Imagine customer and partner event in New York on May 24 and 25, 2017, and ran a second Imagine in Bengaluru in September of the s…
2018Automation Anywhere
Bot Store opens as an RPA bot marketplace: Launched in London in March 2018, Bot Store offered prebuilt, plug and play bots from Automation Anywhere and partners including EY and Genpact, cutting the…
2018Automation Anywhere
$250M Series A at a $1.8B valuation: After fifteen years without institutional equity, the company raised $250 million on July 2, 2018 led by New Enterprise Associates and Goldman Sachs Growth Equity,…
2018Automation Anywhere
SoftBank Vision Fund adds $300M: In November 2018 the SoftBank Vision Fund invested $300 million as an extension of the Series A, taking the round to $550 million and the post-money valuation to $2.6…
2019Automation Anywhere
Acquisition of Klevops in Paris: Automation Anywhere acquired Klevops SAS of Paris in August 2019 to orchestrate work between employees and bots, the technology behind the attended automation interfac…
2019Automation Anywhere
Enterprise A2019 launches as a web-based platform: In October 2019 the company shipped Enterprise A2019, a cloud-native browser-based rewrite that it said added more than 175 features across 40 produc…
2019Automation Anywhere
$290M Series B at a $6.8B valuation: Salesforce Ventures led a $290 million Series B announced on November 21, 2019, with SoftBank Investment Advisers and Goldman Sachs participating, at a $6.8 billio…
2019ServiceNow
Bill McDermott becomes CEO
Bill McDermott joined ServiceNow after leading SAP.
2020Automation Anywhere
Pandemic restructuring and workforce reduction: In April 2020 Automation Anywhere cut jobs and restructured parts of the company, saying the COVID-19 pandemic and the change it brought to the global e…
2021Automation Anywhere
Enterprise A2019 rebranded Automation 360: In March 2021 the company introduced Automation 360 as the brand for its unified cloud-native platform and widened deployment across AWS, Microsoft Azure and…
2021Automation Anywhere
Acquisition of FortressIQ for process discovery: Announced in December 2021, the FortressIQ deal added computer vision process discovery that maps how work is done across applications and turns it int…
2023Automation Anywhere
Start of an unbroken non-GAAP profitable run: The quarter ended October 31, 2023 began the run of non-GAAP profitable quarters with positive free cash flow that the company counted as ten by the quart…
2024Automation Anywhere
AI plus Automation Enterprise System and AI Agent Studio: At Imagine 2024 in Austin in June 2024 the company unveiled an AI plus Automation Enterprise System with AI Agent Studio, letting customers bu…
2025Automation Anywhere
Acquisition of Aisera: On November 4, 2025 Automation Anywhere acquired Aisera and its team of more than 100 AI engineers, adding self-service AI agents for IT service management, HR and customer serv…
2025ServiceNow
Revenue reaches $13.278B
ServiceNow reported $13.278 billion in total revenue and $12.883 billion in subscription revenue.
2025ServiceNow
5-for-1 stock split
A 5-for-1 common stock split became effective on December 17, 2025.
2025ServiceNow
Moveworks acquisition closes
ServiceNow completed its roughly $2.85 billion acquisition of Moveworks on December 15, 2025.
2026Automation Anywhere
OpenAI collaboration and a tenth profitable quarter: Reporting the quarter ended January 31, 2026, Automation Anywhere recorded its tenth consecutive non-GAAP profitable quarter, said AI products were…
2026ServiceNow
Armis acquisition closes
ServiceNow completed its $7.75 billion cash acquisition of Armis in April 2026, after closing Veza in March.
2026ServiceNow
Q2 2026 results
Q2 revenue rose 24% to $3.987 billion, and ServiceNow AI passed $1 billion in annual contract value.
Acquisitions
Automation Anywhere
- Aisera2025Undisclosed
- FortressIQ2021Undisclosed
- Klevops2019Undisclosed
ServiceNow
- Armis2026$7.8B
- Veza2026Undisclosed
- Moveworks2025$2.9B
- Lightstep2021Undisclosed
- Element AI2021Undisclosed
Questions about Automation Anywhere vs ServiceNow
Who is the CEO of Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Automation Anywhere is led by Mihir Shukla and ServiceNow, Inc. is led by Bill McDermott. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Automation Anywhere founded vs ServiceNow, Inc.?
Both Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow, Inc. were founded in 2003, making them the same age.
How many employees does Automation Anywhere have compared to ServiceNow, Inc.?
Automation Anywhere employs approximately 2,400 people, while ServiceNow, Inc. employs approximately 29,187. ServiceNow, Inc. has the larger workforce at 29,187 employees, compared to Automation Anywhere's 2,400. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow, Inc. headquartered?
Both Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Automation Anywhere and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Automation Anywhere was founded by Mihir Shukla, Ankur Kothari, Neeti Mehta Shukla, Rushabh Parmani. ServiceNow, Inc. was founded by Fred Luddy.
Which company has a longer operating history — Automation Anywhere or ServiceNow, Inc.?
Automation Anywhere has been operating for approximately 23 years, making it the more established of the two companies. ServiceNow, Inc. has been in operation for around 23 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Automation Anywhere vs ServiceNow overview