ERP LEADERS: ERP, SAP and enterprise AI news

Edition no. 43 · Tue 20 Oct · last filed 16:09

The news behind the software that runs companies, explained for everyone.

Salesforce said at least 20,000 workers changed roles. It cited an AI redesign.

At least 20,000 of Salesforce's more than 85,000 employees moved into "very different roles and jobs" over the past 18 months, chief operating and finance officer Robin Washington said. diginomica reported the remarks on 19…

AI at work · 14:09 · via diginomica · Photo: InvadingInvader/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Workday's CEO saw ten layers between him and a developer. He cut 525 jobs.

ERP programmes · Sat 17 Oct, 12:29 · via iTWire

ServiceNow showed its AI agent passport blocking a $40 refund. The limit was $25.

ERP programmes · Sat 17 Oct, 11:49 · via diginomica and Help Net Security

Microsoft quit Nscale's UK data centre. Power may not arrive until the 2030s.

The Register · 19 Oct · Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Microsoft's software has about 20 million UK users. Britain's watchdog proposed a special status.

CMA (gov.uk) and The Register · 17 Oct · Photo: othree/Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0

Stories and video reports filed from 09:10 to 16:09 on Tue 20 Oct. 318 stories from 190 outlets and documents since 8 September 2026.

The ERP LEADERS brief

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Welcome back.

The day in enterprise software, in one email

The stories that mattered, the programmes that failed and what they cost, and one case taken apart. Sample issue: the Zeiss SAP case.

Built only from published reporting. Every line names its source.

Around 2020Zeiss starts moving to a new SAP system. The Register
7 Sept 2026Costs have passed €200 million. The plan is reworked. Bloomberg
10 Sept 2026The clean-start build (greenfield) is dropped for an upgrade of the existing system. The Register

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ERP programmes

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SAP stock rose 57% to €201 since July. Options price a 7.5% swing.

Saxo · 17 Oct · Photo: alex.ch from Zurich, Switzerland/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0

Oracle gave US tech startups a free NetSuite plan. It allows five users.

ERP Today · 16 Oct · Photo: King of Hearts/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

ServiceNow denied any interest in buying Decagon. Its shares rose 5% on Thursday.

ERP programmes · Fri 16 Oct, 11:29 · via PYMNTS

Workday told analysts customers spend tens of millions on outsourcing. It wants that budget.

ERP programmes · Fri 16 Oct, 09:49 · via The Register

Some Ericsson quotes took over two weeks. On SAP's software, many now take minutes.

SAP News Center · 16 Oct · Photo: Saturnalia0/Wikimedia, CC0

SAP must stop offering one Signavio function in Germany, a court ruled. Celonis won.

ERP programmes · Fri 16 Oct, 09:09 · via Handelsblatt and Computerwoche

US Customs priced an SAP planning contract at up to $100 million. Migration follows.

ERP programmes · Thu 15 Oct, 14:49 · via ExecutiveGov

AI at work

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Accenture has over 800,000 staff. Despite AI, it still expects headcount to grow.

MarketBeat and Briefs Finance · 15 Oct · Photo: World Economic Forum/Wikimedia, CC BY 3.0

Cognizant assigned 18,000-plus staff to build Google AI agents for clients. Terms were undisclosed.

The Next Web · 09:10 · Photo: Biswarup Ganguly/Wikimedia, CC BY 3.0

Salesforce said 75% of leads went unanswered. It credits AI agents with $88 million.

AI at work · Mon 19 Oct, 14:29 · via CTech by Calcalist

Accenture set a $29 monthly Claude allowance per worker. Some consultants spent $1,000.

AI at work · Mon 19 Oct, 09:09 · via 24/7 Wall St.

Tottenham Hotspur put Salesforce's AI on fan questions. The AI resolves 20% alone.

Salesforce · 16 Oct · Photo: Hzh/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

An OpenAI test model downloaded 147,451 rows of nonpublic data. It told no evaluator.

AI at work · Sun 18 Oct, 14:49 · via Fortune

Home Office AI summarised asylum interviews. 45 of 203 checked summaries failed.

AI at work · Wed 14 Oct, 16:09 · via The Register

Software business

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Some VMware customers reported quotes up 1,500%. 90% of CIOs polled weigh alternatives.

CIO.com · 17 Oct · Photo: Coolcaesar/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Accenture is exploring a China sale worth up to $1.5 billion. Buyers came unasked.

Financial Times via FINCHANNEL · 19 Oct · Photo: Wistula/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

UK police built a Salesforce chatbot. A contact costs 27p, versus £7.80 for staff.

Software business · Sun 18 Oct, 09:09 · via diginomica

Wipro's staff fell by 6,716 in three months. Its services revenue held flat.

Software business · Sat 17 Oct, 11:09 · via BusinessToday and People Matters

AWS and Google's lobby priced EU cloud rules at €115bn. Brussels estimated €18bn.

The Register · 15 Oct · Photo: Ank Kumar/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

HMRC signed Salesforce for up to £2 billion. Its first estimate was £1 billion.

Software business · Fri 16 Oct, 14:49 · via Salesforce

Kroger plans to cut 3,000 of its 8,200 office jobs. Its CEO cited technology.

Software business · Tue 13 Oct, 15:09 · via Reuters

Video reports

MoreAll video reports

Target opened 133 stores in Canada. Two years later, all 133 closed.

Video report · 09:50

Hotmail's founder refused Microsoft's $350 million. His own team wanted to sell.

Video report · 19 Oct

Microsoft dropped Nscale's planned UK AI site. Nscale blames a London-wide grid issue.

Video report · 19 Oct

The Failure File

MoreOpen the file

Programmes that stopped, overran or went to court, with the figure, the date and the source.

The reference desk

MoreThe whole archive

Salesforce said at least 20,000 workers changed roles. It cited an AI redesign.

Workday's CEO saw ten layers between him and a developer. He cut 525 jobs.

ServiceNow showed its AI agent passport blocking a $40 refund. The limit was $25.

Microsoft quit Nscale's UK data centre. Power may not arrive until the 2030s.

Microsoft's software has about 20 million UK users. Britain's watchdog proposed a special status.

The ERP LEADERS brief

The day in enterprise software, in one email

ERP programmes

SAP stock rose 57% to €201 since July. Options price a 7.5% swing.

Oracle gave US tech startups a free NetSuite plan. It allows five users.

ServiceNow denied any interest in buying Decagon. Its shares rose 5% on Thursday.

Workday told analysts customers spend tens of millions on outsourcing. It wants that budget.

Some Ericsson quotes took over two weeks. On SAP's software, many now take minutes.

SAP must stop offering one Signavio function in Germany, a court ruled. Celonis won.

US Customs priced an SAP planning contract at up to $100 million. Migration follows.

AI at work

Accenture has over 800,000 staff. Despite AI, it still expects headcount to grow.

Cognizant assigned 18,000-plus staff to build Google AI agents for clients. Terms were undisclosed.

Salesforce said 75% of leads went unanswered. It credits AI agents with $88 million.

Accenture set a $29 monthly Claude allowance per worker. Some consultants spent $1,000.

Tottenham Hotspur put Salesforce's AI on fan questions. The AI resolves 20% alone.

An OpenAI test model downloaded 147,451 rows of nonpublic data. It told no evaluator.

Home Office AI summarised asylum interviews. 45 of 203 checked summaries failed.

Software business

Some VMware customers reported quotes up 1,500%. 90% of CIOs polled weigh alternatives.

Accenture is exploring a China sale worth up to $1.5 billion. Buyers came unasked.

UK police built a Salesforce chatbot. A contact costs 27p, versus £7.80 for staff.

Wipro's staff fell by 6,716 in three months. Its services revenue held flat.

AWS and Google's lobby priced EU cloud rules at €115bn. Brussels estimated €18bn.

HMRC signed Salesforce for up to £2 billion. Its first estimate was £1 billion.

Kroger plans to cut 3,000 of its 8,200 office jobs. Its CEO cited technology.

Video reports

Target opened 133 stores in Canada. Two years later, all 133 closed.

Hotmail's founder refused Microsoft's $350 million. His own team wanted to sell.

Microsoft dropped Nscale's planned UK AI site. Nscale blames a London-wide grid issue.

The Failure File

SAP must stop offering one Signavio function in Germany, a court ruled. Celonis won.

Workday cut 500 technology employees and lowered its earnings outlook.

Oracle linked a 2.45-gigawatt AI data centre to a delayed gas pipeline.

The reference desk