Born in 1966 in Pittsford, New York, Aneel Bhusri is an American business executive and the co-founder of Workday, a leading provider of cloud-based enterprise software. Bhusri, who hails from an Indian-American family of Punjabi descent, established a rigorous academic foundation for his career.

He graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and also earned a B.A. in Economics. He then received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was recognized as an Arjay Miller Scholar. This powerful blend of deep technical engineering expertise, economic understanding, and elite business education positioned him as a unique product visionary who could bridge the gap between complex software architecture and the needs of global enterprises, a skill set that would define his two-decade-long career in the software industry.

Aneel Bhusri’s career is marked by his long, foundational partnership with the late tech titan David Duffield. Bhusri joined Duffield’s company, PeopleSoft, in 1993, which was then primarily focused on human resources software. Bhusri quickly rose through the ranks, becoming responsible for product strategy and marketing, eventually serving as the Vice Chairman until the company’s hostile takeover by Oracle in 2004.

The defining moment came in 2005. Following the Oracle acquisition, Bhusri and Duffield reunited to co-found Workday with the belief that the future of enterprise software lay entirely in the cloud (SaaS model) and not in the old, expensive on-premise systems. Bhusri led Workday as CEO, transforming it into a global powerhouse in Human Capital Management (HCM) and financial software. His success was amplified by his parallel role as a partner at the venture capital firm Greylock Partners since 1999, where he invested in cloud technologies like Facebook and Airbnb, giving him unparalleled insight into the future of digital infrastructure. This dual role made him an influential bridge between the VC world and the enterprise software market.

Aneel Bhusri's philanthropy is structural and focuses on education, leadership, and public health. His work is guided by the belief that technology and strong management are the keys to societal improvement. He is a Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan organization that promotes enlightened leadership and values-based dialogue.

Through his venture capital role at Greylock, he helps fund companies that drive technological and economic advancement. Workday’s corporate social responsibility emphasizes diversity and inclusion in tech, reflecting a commitment to building a more equitable industry. Furthermore, he is an active leader within the Indiaspora network, using his success to uplift and mentor the next generation of Indian-American entrepreneurs and leaders in the global tech world.

Aneel Bhusri’s style is the epitome of the bicoastal executive—blending Silicon Valley's comfortable tech-casual with the refined polish of the venture capital world. His attire is consistently high-quality, favoring simple, expensive, tailored jackets and trousers, and often featuring the signature understated, professional look of a Workday executive.

Residing in the Bay Area, his luxury is the deep intellectual power of his dual roles—managing a multi-billion dollar enterprise and acting as a key gatekeeper in the world of venture capital. His wealth funds a life of private international travel and access to the highest echelons of global technology leadership. His passion is the continuous pursuit of innovation, a life that sees him equally comfortable leading a board meeting at Workday and identifying the next disruptive startup for Greylock.