HR tech player Workday has agreed to acquire Paradox, a conversational AI platform that uses AI to streamline candidate interactions, particularly high-volume hiring for frontline roles. The deal is expected to close in Workday’s third quarter of fiscal 2026.
The acquisition comes as Paradox gains industry recognition for its innovative tools. HR Executive and the HR Tech conference recently named Paradox’s Immersive Job Previews one of the year’s Top HR Products.
According to a press release, the deal will integrate Paradox’s technology into Workday’s recruiting platform, creating an end-to-end AI-powered talent acquisition suite for organizations across all worker types, from frontline to professional roles. No announcement has been made on the timing for the integration.
Carl Eschenbach, CEO of Workday, wrote on LinkedIn that the addition of Paradox “marks another important step in our journey to create an end-to-end AI platform that empowers people to do their best work.”
In a breaking blog post, industry analyst Josh Bersin described the acquisition as potentially transformative for Workday. “Paradox has the potential to change Workday’s growth trajectory as a business,” he wrote, noting that it positions Workday as a leader in high-volume hiring, which represents roughly 70 percent of global jobs.
‘A big year in HR tech’
He added that the acquisition could open new industry verticals, including healthcare, retail, transportation, hospitality, airlines and entertainment, while also strengthening mid-market offerings and advancing Workday’s AI agent capabilities.
Paradox CEO Adam Godson expressed excitement and gratitude in a LinkedIn post announcing the deal.
“When Paradox was founded in 2016, we set out with a vision where conversational AI would fundamentally simplify enterprise software—helping assist with repetitive tasks and manual work, so people could spend more time with people, not software,” Godson wrote. “We’ve made tremendous progress—and couldn’t be more excited to soon become a part of Workday.”
The acquisition could increase competition among talent acquisition vendors as Workday becomes a larger player in the market, according to Bersin. At the same time, he wrote that enterprise software acquisitions often slow innovation at acquired companies, which could create opportunities for other players in the space.
As Madeline Laurano, founder of Aptitude Research, wrote on LinkedIn, “This is a big year in HR tech.” This isn’t the only notable acquisition ahead of the industry’s key conference, HR Tech 2025, happening Sept. 16-18 in Las Vegas.
Earlier this month, SAP announced plans to acquire SmartRecruiters, a talent acquisition software company recognized for high-volume recruiting, recruitment automation and AI-powered candidate engagement. Analyst Stacey Harris of Sapient Insights described the SAP/SmartRecruiters move as “a big win in picking up AI talent that has grown rapidly in recruiting tech environments.”
Financial terms for Workday’s acquisition of Paradox were not disclosed. The transaction requires regulatory approval and other standard closing conditions.
