Rippling vs Workday: Founders, CEOs and History
Rippling was founded in 2016 by Parker Conrad, Prasanna Sankar and is led by Parker Conrad. Workday was founded in 2005 by Dave Duffield, Aneel Bhusri and is led by Aneel Bhusri.
Company facts
Founders
Rippling
Parker Conrad
Parker Conrad co-founded Rippling in 2016 and has been its CEO since. He has grown it into a company with roughly $1 billion in annual recurring revenue and a $16.8 billion valuation (May 2025).
Prasanna Sankar
Prasanna Sankar co-founded Rippling in 2016 and served as its CTO, building early versions of the platform. He left the company in 2020, and in 2025 he told Forbes he had sold his shares over the years.
Workday
Dave Duffield
Dave Duffield founded PeopleSoft, which grew into a major HR and ERP software vendor before Oracle acquired it through a hostile takeover completed in early 2005.
Aneel Bhusri
Aneel Bhusri co-founded Workday in 2005. He was co-CEO with Dave Duffield, then sole CEO from 2014, and later shared the CEO role before handing it to Carl Eschenbach in February 2024 and becoming executive chair.
CEOs and their tenures
Rippling
- Parker Conrad2016–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Rippling since founding. He set the multi-product 'compound startup' strategy and guided the company to about $1 billion in ARR and a $16.8 billion valuation.
Source - Prasanna Sankar2016–2020
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Built Rippling's early engineering platform as CTO before leaving in 2020.
Source
Workday
- Carl Eschenbach2022–2026
Former CEO
Joined as co-CEO in December 2022, became sole CEO in February 2024, and stepped down in February 2026; now a strategic advisor to the CEO.
Source - Zane Rowe2023–present
Chief Financial Officer
Leads finance and issued the fiscal 2027 subscription revenue and margin guidance.
Source - Aneel Bhusri2026–present
Co-founder, CEO, and Chair
Co-founded Workday in 2005, led it as co-CEO and CEO until 2024, and returned as CEO in February 2026.
Source
Timeline: Rippling and Workday side by side
2005Workday
Workday Founded
Dave Duffield and Aneel Bhusri found Workday after Oracle's takeover of PeopleSoft.
2012Workday
IPO
Workday lists on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2012; it later moves its listing to Nasdaq.
2016Rippling
Rippling founded
Parker Conrad and Prasanna Sankar started the company in San Francisco.
2018Workday
Adaptive Insights Acquired
Workday buys planning software company Adaptive Insights for about $1.55B, creating Workday Adaptive Planning.
2019Rippling
$45M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins
Funded expansion of payroll and IT products.
2020Rippling
$145M Series B at $1.35B valuation
Founders Fund led the round. CTO Prasanna Sankar left the company the same year.
2022Rippling
Valuation reaches $11.25B
Raised $250 million Series D; expanded into finance products.
2023Rippling
$500M Series E during SVB failure
Raised emergency capital to keep client payrolls running after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed.
2024Rippling
$200M Series F at $16.8B
Coatue led, alongside a tender offer of up to $590 million.
2024Workday
Carl Eschenbach Becomes Sole CEO
Eschenbach takes over as sole CEO in February 2024 and Bhusri becomes executive chair.
2025Rippling
Deel lawsuit and $16.8B Series G
Sued Deel in March, then raised $450 million at a $16.8 billion valuation in May.
2025Workday
Paradox, Sana, and Pipedream Deals
Workday closes the Paradox and Sana acquisitions and agrees to acquire AI integration platform Pipedream.
2026Rippling
Rippling AI launch; ~$1B ARR
Conrad reported revenue growing 78% year over year; CNBC Disruptor 50 rank No. 11.
2026Workday
Aneel Bhusri Returns as CEO
Workday announces on February 9, 2026 that Bhusri is returning as CEO and Eschenbach is stepping down.
2026Workday
Fiscal 2026 Revenue of $9.552B
Workday reports fiscal 2026 revenue of $9.552B, up 13.1%, and GAAP net income of $693M.
2026Workday
Q2 Fiscal 2027 Results
Workday reports Q2 fiscal 2027 revenue of $2.649B and says AI drove more than 25% of new ACV.
Acquisitions
Rippling
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Workday
- Paradox2025Undisclosed
- Sana2025Undisclosed
- Pipedream2025Undisclosed
- HiredScore2024Undisclosed
- Peakon2021$700M
- Adaptive Insights2018$1.6B
Questions about Rippling vs Workday
Who is the CEO of Rippling (People Center, Inc.) and Workday, Inc.?
Rippling (People Center, Inc.) is led by Parker Conrad and Workday, Inc. is led by Aneel Bhusri. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Rippling (People Center, Inc.) founded vs Workday, Inc.?
Workday, Inc. was founded in 2005 — 11 years before Rippling (People Center, Inc.), which was founded in 2016. Workday, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Rippling (People Center, Inc.).
How many employees does Rippling (People Center, Inc.) have compared to Workday, Inc.?
Workday, Inc. employs approximately 21,070 people. A verified employee count for Rippling (People Center, Inc.) is not currently available.
Where are Rippling (People Center, Inc.) and Workday, Inc. headquartered?
Both Rippling (People Center, Inc.) and Workday, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Rippling (People Center, Inc.) and Workday, Inc.?
Rippling (People Center, Inc.) was founded by Parker Conrad, Prasanna Sankar. Workday, Inc. was founded by Dave Duffield, Aneel Bhusri.
Which company has a longer operating history — Rippling (People Center, Inc.) or Workday, Inc.?
Workday, Inc. has been operating for approximately 21 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Rippling (People Center, Inc.) has been in operation for around 10 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 Rippling vs Workday overview