Visa vs Workday: Founders, CEOs and History
Visa was founded in 1958 by Dee Hock and is led by Ryan McInerney. Workday was founded in 2005 by Dave Duffield, Aneel Bhusri and is led by Aneel Bhusri.
Company facts
Founders
Visa
Dee Hock
Dee Hock (1929-2022) was the founding CEO of National BankAmericard Inc., the bank-owned company that took over the BankAmericard licensing system from Bank of America in 1970 and adopted the Visa name in 1976.
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
Visa
- Alfred F. Kelly Jr.2016–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Serving as CEO from 2016 to 2023, he heavily modernized the massive legacy network, aggressively integrating fintechs and preparing the network to process highly complex cryptocurrency transactions.
Source - Ryan McInerney2023–present
Chief Executive Officer
McInerney joined Visa in 2013 as president after senior roles at JPMorgan Chase and became chief executive on February 1, 2023, succeeding Alfred F. Kelly Jr.
Source
Workday
- Carl Eschenbach2022–2026
Former CEO
As co-CEO and later sole CEO, he aggressively pushed the platform beyond HR into the broader and highly lucrative enterprise financial management sector.
Source - Zane Rowe2023–present
Chief Financial Officer
He strengthened the corporate balance sheet, enabling strategic AI acquisitions while maintaining disciplined capital allocation.
Source - Aneel Bhusri2026–present
Co-founder, CEO, and Chair
He scaled the company into a dominant cloud SaaS provider, fundamentally reshaping the enterprise software market before handing over the CEO reins.
Source
Timeline: Visa and Workday side by side
1958Visa
BankAmericard launched
Bank of America launched BankAmericard, the direct predecessor to Visa.
1976Visa
Visa name adopted
The network adopted the Visa name to support international acceptance and brand consistency.
2005Workday
Workday Founded
Dave Duffield and Aneel Bhusri found Workday after Oracle's takeover of PeopleSoft.
2006Workday
Workday launches
Workday, founded in March 2005, launches publicly in November 2006.
2008Visa
Visa IPO
Visa became a public company, changing the economics from a bank association structure to a shareholder-owned company.
2012Workday
IPO
Workday lists on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2012; it later moves its listing to Nasdaq.
2016Visa
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. becomes CEO
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. became CEO of Visa in 2016. Chief executive of Visa from December 2016 to January 2023, when Ryan McInerney succeeded him; Kelly then served as executive chairman.
2018Workday
Adaptive Insights Acquired
Workday buys planning software company Adaptive Insights for about $1.55B, creating Workday Adaptive Planning.
2020Visa
Acquired Plaid (abandoned)
Visa acquired Plaid (abandoned) for $5.3 billion. Visa agreed in January 2020 to buy US data-connectivity fintech Plaid for USD 5.3 billion.
2021Workday
Acquired Peakon
Workday acquired Peakon for $700 million.
2022Visa
Tink acquisition
Visa completed its purchase of Stockholm-based open banking platform Tink in March 2022.
2023Visa
Ryan McInerney becomes CEO
Ryan McInerney became Visa's CEO after serving as president.
2024Workday
Carl Eschenbach Becomes Sole CEO
Eschenbach takes over as sole CEO in February 2024 and Bhusri becomes executive chair.
2024Workday
Acquired HiredScore
Workday acquired HiredScore.
2025Visa
Revenue reaches $40.0B
Visa reported $40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue.
2025Workday
Paradox, Sana, and Pipedream Deals
Workday closes the Paradox and Sana acquisitions and agrees to acquire AI integration platform Pipedream.
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
Workday
- Paradox2025Undisclosed
- Sana2025Undisclosed
- Pipedream2025Undisclosed
- HiredScore2024Undisclosed
- Peakon2021$700M
- Adaptive Insights2018$1.6B
Questions about Visa vs Workday
Who is the CEO of Visa Inc. and Workday, Inc.?
Visa Inc. is led by Ryan McInerney 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 Visa Inc. founded vs Workday, Inc.?
Visa Inc. was founded in 1958 — 47 years before Workday, Inc., which was founded in 2005. Visa Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Workday, Inc..
How many employees does Visa Inc. have compared to Workday, Inc.?
Visa Inc. employs approximately 34,100 people, while Workday, Inc. employs approximately 21,070. Visa Inc. has the larger workforce at 34,100 employees, compared to Workday, Inc.'s 21,070. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Visa Inc. and Workday, Inc. headquartered?
Both Visa Inc. and Workday, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Visa Inc. and Workday, Inc.?
Visa Inc. was founded by Dee Hock. Workday, Inc. was founded by Dave Duffield, Aneel Bhusri.
Which company has a longer operating history — Visa Inc. or Workday, Inc.?
Visa Inc. has been operating for approximately 68 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Workday, Inc. has been in operation for around 21 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 Visa vs Workday overview