ServiceNow

NOWEnterprise Software

Mentions

Podcasts

Episodes

Podcast consensus

Points of consensus

▶ServiceNow is aggressively integrating AI into its platform, evidenced by the late 2023 general availability of its ProPlus AI SKU and its rapid adoption of AI compared to other incumbents.Apr–May 2026

▶The company has established a broad ecosystem of strategic partnerships with major technology players, including Google for its Gemini Enterprise agent marketplace, Microsoft for its Agent 365 platform, and NVIDIA for foundational model training.Apr 2026

▶ServiceNow's platform is designed for extensive integration, with claims that it can connect with approximately 700-800 substantial systems of record, positioning it as a central hub for enterprise data and workflows.Apr 2026

▶The platform operates at a massive scale, reportedly handling 7 trillion transactions and processing over 85 billion in-flight workflows, underscoring its role in large enterprise operations.Apr 2026

Points of debate

▶While ServiceNow is a dominant enterprise player, its customer base of approximately 9,000 is significantly smaller than other major SaaS platforms like Slack, which has around one million company users, presenting a contrasting view on its market penetration.Feb–Apr 2026

▶The company faces escalating competition in its core markets, with major incumbents like Salesforce entering the IT Service Management (ITSM) space and new AI-enabled startups like Serval launching to compete directly.Feb–Apr 2026

▶There is a tension between ServiceNow's rapid AI innovation and security. While the company is a leader in deploying AI features, a significant vulnerability was discovered in its Assist AI that allowed for data exfiltration via a prompt injection attack.Apr 2026

▶The platform's architecture is praised as a 'born in the cloud' advantage, yet it is built on a proprietary database, RaptorDB. This could be viewed as either a performance advantage or a potential risk associated with vendor lock-in.Apr 2026

Key themes

▶AI-Powered Workflow Automation at ScaleApr 2026

ServiceNow positions its platform as the execution layer for AI, differentiating itself with the value proposition 'AI thinks, but workflow acts.' The platform is built to handle immense scale, processing trillions of transactions and integrating with hundreds of systems of record to serve as a 'control tower' for agentic AI workflows.

By focusing on workflow execution rather than just AI-driven suggestions, ServiceNow is carving out a defensible niche that leverages its deep integration into enterprise processes, making it a critical plumbing layer in the AI era.

▶Strategic Ecosystem IntegrationApr 2026

The company pursues a strategy of deep integration with other major technology platforms rather than attempting to build a completely vertical stack. This is demonstrated by partnerships with Google (Gemini Enterprise), Microsoft (Agent 365), NVIDIA (Nemotron model training), and security firms like Armis, ensuring its platform remains central to enterprise IT.

This 'platform of platforms' strategy reduces direct competition with hyperscalers and makes ServiceNow an indispensable partner, increasing its stickiness within complex enterprise environments.

▶Aggressive AI Adoption and ProductizationApr 2026

Unlike some incumbents, ServiceNow has moved quickly to adopt and productize AI. It launched its AI-centric ProPlus SKU in late 2023, used NVIDIA's Nemotron dataset to train its own foundational model, and is cited as a key example of a large company rapidly integrating AI.

This speed demonstrates an ability to adapt to a major platform shift, but it also introduces risks, as seen with the Assist AI vulnerability, highlighting the classic trade-off between innovation velocity and security hardening.

▶Emerging Competitive and Security ThreatsFeb–Apr 2026

ServiceNow's market leadership is being challenged on multiple fronts. Salesforce is entering the core ITSM market with a new agentic application, while venture-backed startups like Serval are emerging as AI-native competitors. Concurrently, the complexity of its new AI features has introduced security vulnerabilities, such as a second-order prompt injection attack in its Assist AI.

The combination of new competition from both established giants and nimble startups, coupled with the inherent security challenges of AI, suggests that ServiceNow's future growth will require fending off threats from above and below.

Source episodes

Sentiment over time

Apr 2026

12 bullish, 1 bearish, 3 neutral(16 claims)

The Gemini Enterprise agent marketplace allows deployment of specialized agents ...

May 2026

1 bearish, 1 neutral(2 claims)

ServiceNow has already exhausted its entire annual budget for Anthropic's AI ser...

Changes over time

Foundational

The company's 'born in the cloud' architecture is credited by former CEO John Donahoe as providing it with 'unfair advantages' as a modern technology platform.

Late 2023

ServiceNow's ProPlus SKU, which incorporates its new AI features, becomes generally available, marking a significant step in productizing its AI strategy.

Current

CEO Bill McDermott reports massive platform scale, including 7 trillion transactions, 85 billion in-flight workflows, and integrations with approximately 800 systems of record.

Current

A series of high-profile partnerships are announced, integrating ServiceNow with Google's Gemini Enterprise, Microsoft's Agent 365, and using NVIDIA's models for training.

Recent

A significant security vulnerability is disclosed in the company's Assist AI, highlighting the security challenges that accompany rapid AI implementation.

Recent

The competitive landscape intensifies as Salesforce announces its entry into the ITSM market and AI-native competitor Serval launches from stealth.

Suggested prompts

How sustainable is ServiceNow's position as a 'control tower' for AI workflows as hyperscalers and other SaaS platforms build their own agentic capabilities? &nearr;What is the long-term risk of relying on a proprietary database (RaptorDB) versus a more open, standardized data architecture? &nearr;Given the disclosed AI vulnerability, what steps is ServiceNow taking to secure its AI features, and how might this impact their speed of innovation? &nearr;How will the entry of Salesforce into ITSM and the rise of AI-native competitors like Serval impact ServiceNow's market share and pricing power in its core business? &nearr;

Key concepts

AI Integration & Strategy 5 ep Strategic Partnerships 4 ep Platform Capabilities & Scale 3 ep Competitive Landscape 3 ep Security & Vulnerabilities 2 ep Proprietary Technology 2 ep Corporate Vision 1 ep IT Service Management (ITSM) 1 ep

Notable quotes

“ServiceNow positions its value proposition as "AI thinks, but workflow acts," to differentiate its platform's execution capabilities from an LLM's suggestion capabilities.”

Bill McDermott · Scaling Global Organizations in the Age of AI with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott

“with agentic AI, you can use ServiceNow as the control tower for that work, how it flows, the connection to that data.”

Bill McDermott · ACQ2: The Art of Selling Enterprise Software (with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott)

“A vulnerability in ServiceNow's Assist AI allowed a second-order prompt injection attack, enabling an agent to perform CRUD actions on a database and exfiltrate data via email.”

Sander Schulhoff · Why securing AI is harder than anyone expected and guardrails are failing | HackAPrompt CEO

“I came in here to help make ServiceNow the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century.”

Bill McDermott · ACQ2: The Art of Selling Enterprise Software (with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott)

Report last updated: May 21, 2026

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