Workday + Sana: What It Means for Build, Extend, and the Future of Intelligent Apps

On September 16, Workday announced a game-changing move: it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sana, a cutting-edge AI company focused on enterprise learning, knowledge, and agent-driven productivity. 

At a glance, this might seem like a bold step toward smarter knowledge management-and it is. But if you're a developer, architect, or product owner working with Workday Build or Extend, this acquisition is something bigger: 

It’s a blueprint for where Workday is taking the platform. 

Here’s what the Sana acquisition means for the future of Workday development-and how Nimbeely sees it shaping the way we build apps, workflows, and intelligent agent experiences. 

Workday Build Is Becoming the OS of Enterprise Work 

Workday has been steadily evolving from an HR and finance system into something more powerful: a platform. 

With the launch of Workday Build, the company signaled its intent to unify app development, orchestration, and agent creation under one roof. The Sana acquisition now accelerates that strategy. 

Sana’s products, Sana Learn and Sana Agents, are AI-native, highly personalized, and deeply integrated into the way people actually work. Think Slack-style simplicity with Google-scale intelligence. 

By bringing Sana into Workday, the company isn’t just acquiring an app. It’s acquiring: 

• An AI agent framework 

• A beautiful, intuitive UI layer 

• A machine learning engine trained on enterprise workflows 

• A platform for turning passive systems into proactive ones 

All of which ties directly into what we’re already building on Workday Extend. 

Copilot + Agents + Sana = The Future of Extend Apps 

At Nimbeely, we’ve already been designing Extend apps that use Copilot, agent orchestration, and zero-copy data access to drive user productivity. But this acquisition takes it even further. 

With Sana, Workday will likely: 

• Introduce more intelligent agent-to-human workflows across HCM and Finance 

• Surface Extend apps dynamically based on context, not static menus 

• Integrate AI-guided learning and support inside Workday pages 

• Allow apps to “teach themselves” what users need next-based on usage, policy, or performance data 

  
  

That’s not just a better UI. That’s intelligence embedded directly into the flow of work. 

What This Means for Developers 

If you’re building apps in Workday Extend or planning to adopt Workday Build, this acquisition signals a few things: 

1. The Front Door Just Moved 

Workday’s vision is to become the “new front door for work”, and that means your app can (and should) live where people start their day: inside intelligent, proactive agent-driven flows. 

Extend apps will need to be more context-aware, more assistive, and more conversational. 

2. UX Standards Just Got Higher 

Sana is known for its elegant, intuitive UI. Expect Workday to raise the bar for design, usability, and AI explainability - especially for Extend apps surfaced via Build or Copilot. 

Developers will need to design not just for function, but for frictionless, AI-enhanced user experiences. 

3. Agents Are No Longer Optional 

With Sana Agents integrated into Workday, agent-based workflows will become a core part of the Workday development toolkit. Developers will need to consider: 

• How their app data powers agent decisions 

• How users interact with agents + apps in the same flow 

• How to build apps that trigger, enhance, or respond to agent actions 

Nimbeely’s Take: It’s Time to Build Differently 

We’re not just watching this shift-we’re leaning into it. 

At Nimbeely, we’re already: 

• Prototyping Extend apps that interact with agents 

• Designing AI-enriched onboarding flows using Copilot and Journeys 

• Reimagining our COA and Compliance apps for embedded learning + agent support 

• Preparing for a future where apps don’t just serve—they collaborate 

If you're planning to build (or rebuild) Workday apps in 2025, now's the time to future-proof your roadmap.