Freshworks vs ServiceNow: Founders, CEOs and History
Freshworks was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy and is led by Dennis Woodside. ServiceNow was founded in 2003 by Fred Luddy and is led by Bill McDermott.
Company facts
Freshworks
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- San Mateo, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Dennis Woodside
- Employees
- 4,000
ServiceNow
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Bill McDermott
- Employees
- 29,187
Founders
Freshworks
Girish Mathrubootham
Girish Mathrubootham co-founded Freshdesk (later Freshworks) in Chennai in 2010 and served as CEO until May 2024, leading the company through its September 2021 NASDAQ IPO.
Shan Krishnasamy
Shan Krishnasamy co-founded Freshdesk in 2010 and served as its chief technology officer, building the original product and the Chennai engineering team that underpinned Freshworks' growth. He later stepped back from the company.
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
Freshworks
- Girish Mathrubootham2010–2024
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Founded the company in Chennai in 2010, led it through the 2021 IPO, became Executive Chairman in May 2024 and left the board on December 1, 2025.
Source - Dennis Woodside2024–present
Chief Executive Officer
Took revenue from $720.4M (2024) to $838.8M (2025) while moving from a GAAP operating loss to a profit.
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: Freshworks and ServiceNow side by side
2003ServiceNow
ServiceNow founded
Fred Luddy founded the company that became ServiceNow with a cloud-native IT service management vision.
2010Freshworks
Freshdesk Founded in Chennai
Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy founded Freshdesk in an 800 sq ft office in Chennai, building an affordable cloud customer ticketing system.
2011Freshworks
First Customer Won & Accel Seed Funding
Launched Freshdesk commercially and raised a $1 million Series A led by Accel India.
2012ServiceNow
Initial public offering
ServiceNow went public on the New York Stock Exchange under NOW.
2014Freshworks
Launch of Freshservice ITSM
Introduced Freshservice to provide internal IT helpdesk and service management, which rapidly expanded into its largest enterprise revenue engine.
2017Freshworks
Company Rebranded to Freshworks
Rebranded from Freshdesk to Freshworks to reflect its multi-product suite spanning customer support, IT service, and sales CRM.
2018Freshworks
San Mateo Headquarters and Unicorn Status
Raised a $100 million round led by Accel and Sequoia Capital at a valuation reported above $1.5 billion, and set up headquarters in San Mateo, California.
2019ServiceNow
Bill McDermott becomes CEO
Bill McDermott joined ServiceNow after leading SAP.
2021Freshworks
Historic NASDAQ IPO Raising $1.03 Billion
Listed on NASDAQ under ticker FRSH on September 22, 2021, raising about $1.03 billion; shares closed the first day with a market value above $12 billion.
2023Freshworks
Launch of Freddy AI Generative Suite
Unveiled Freddy AI, embedding generative AI across Freshservice and Freshdesk to automate ticket summaries, responses, and routine IT tasks.
2024Freshworks
Dennis Woodside Appointed CEO
President Dennis Woodside became CEO in May 2024, with founder Girish Mathrubootham moving to Executive Chairman. Freshworks also agreed to acquire IT asset discovery company Device42.
2025Freshworks
First GAAP Operating Profit; Founder Exits
Revenue reached $838.8 million with GAAP operating income of $13.2 million. Girish Mathrubootham left the board on December 1, 2025 and Roxanne Austin became Chair.
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.
2026Freshworks
Record Q2 and Raised Outlook
Q2 2026 revenue rose 16% to $237.4 million and full-year guidance was raised to $963.5M-$966.5M, after a May 2026 restructuring that cut about 500 jobs.
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
Freshworks
- AnsweriQ2020Undisclosed
- Flint2020Undisclosed
- Zarget2017Undisclosed
ServiceNow
- Armis2026$7.8B
- Veza2026Undisclosed
- Moveworks2025$2.9B
- Lightstep2021Undisclosed
- Element AI2021Undisclosed
Questions about Freshworks vs ServiceNow
Who is the CEO of Freshworks Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. is led by Dennis Woodside 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 Freshworks Inc. founded vs ServiceNow, Inc.?
ServiceNow, Inc. was founded in 2003 — 7 years before Freshworks Inc., which was founded in 2010. ServiceNow, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Freshworks Inc..
How many employees does Freshworks Inc. have compared to ServiceNow, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. employs approximately 4,000 people, while ServiceNow, Inc. employs approximately 29,187. ServiceNow, Inc. has the larger workforce at 29,187 employees, compared to Freshworks Inc.'s 4,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Freshworks Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc. headquartered?
Both Freshworks Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Freshworks Inc. and ServiceNow, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. was founded by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy. ServiceNow, Inc. was founded by Fred Luddy.
Which company has a longer operating history — Freshworks Inc. or ServiceNow, Inc.?
ServiceNow, Inc. has been operating for approximately 23 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Freshworks Inc. has been in operation for around 16 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 Freshworks vs ServiceNow overview