Automation Anywhere
Reportedly in talks to acquire publicly-traded C3.ai — whose market cap has crashed 92% over five years — specifically to go public through the resulting entity, sidestepping a traditional IPO entirely.
What is Automation Anywhere?
Automation Anywhere, founded in San Jose in 2003 by four Indian-American co-founders (Mihir Shukla, Neeti Mehta Shukla, Ankur Kothari, and Rushabh Parmani) and renamed to its current form in 2010, sits alongside UiPath, already covered elsewhere in this directory, as one of the two category leaders in enterprise robotic process automation. The platform combines business process management, case management, RPA, and AI-powered decisioning into a unified process automation suite, with attended and unattended bots handling everything from front-office human-triggered tasks to fully autonomous back-office processes running around the clock. Automation Anywhere serves more than 5,000 businesses globally and has a genuinely strong presence specifically in banking and financial services, manufacturing, IT services, and government — with real, dedicated India-time-zone delivery capability through offices in Bangalore and Hyderabad that give it a real edge with Indian enterprise buyers navigating FIRA/FEMA-aware contract negotiation.
The genuinely fascinating, current story worth understanding about Automation Anywhere's 2026 trajectory: in late January 2026, The Information reported that Automation Anywhere is in talks to merge with publicly-traded C3.ai, in a structure that would see privately-held Automation Anywhere acquire the publicly-listed company and use the resulting combined entity to go public — effectively sidestepping a traditional IPO altogether. The timing is genuinely notable: C3.ai's market capitalization has collapsed to roughly $1.7-1.8 billion, a small fraction of its earlier valuation, with the stock down 61.7% over one year and 92.1% over five years, while Automation Anywhere itself was last valued at $6.8 billion in 2019 — making the far larger private company the effective acquirer of a struggling public one, specifically for the public listing it comes with. As of May 2026, the talks remain preliminary with no deal certainty and no disclosed pricing terms, and either side could still walk away. It's honest to note a separate, real company-health signal worth knowing: Automation Anywhere reported layoffs across multiple offices in 2024-2025, totaling roughly 300+ positions globally, a detail worth factoring into any long-term platform commitment decision.
The reverse-IPO merger talks and C3.ai's stock performance are drawn directly from multiple independent, dated 2026 financial news sources (The Information, GuruFocus, Yahoo Finance, Simply Wall St via SahmCapital), all corroborating the same reported deal structure. Company history, layoffs, and licensing complexity are drawn from a detailed independent regional review (ProductGrowth.in), verified May 2026.
Key features
Attended & unattended bots
Human-triggered front-office automation alongside fully autonomous back-office bots.
AI-powered decisioning
Combines RPA with AI-driven decision logic across business processes.
Business process & case management
Unified suite covering BPM and case management alongside pure automation.
Strong BFSI & manufacturing focus
Deep, proven presence in banking, financial services, and manufacturing verticals.
Dedicated India delivery capability
Bangalore and Hyderabad offices provide real India-time-zone support.
Government & regulated-sector deployment
A genuinely established presence in public-sector automation needs.
Pricing
Community / Trial
- Good for evaluating the platform before enterprise commitment
- Genuine production use requires a paid license
- Check current terms directly given frequent plan updates
Enterprise Licensing
- Attended bots, unattended bots, users, and AI agents each priced independently
- Requires certified developers or an RPA Centre of Excellence to deploy well
- USD billing with 18% IGST for Indian enterprise buyers
Custom Enterprise
- Best suited to organizations with an existing automation team
- Genuine overkill for SMBs and small product-engineering teams
- Consider n8n, Zapier, or Power Automate for smaller-scale needs
Steep learning curve and complex licensing genuinely require dedicated automation expertise to deploy cost-effectively — this is not a lightweight, self-serve tool. Prices reflect Automation Anywhere's reference pricing as of July 2026.
Available models
Integrations & platforms
Pros, cons & best for
Pros
- Genuine category leadership alongside UiPath in enterprise RPA
- Deep, proven strength specifically in BFSI, manufacturing, and government
- Real, dedicated India delivery capability unusual among Western competitors
Cons
- Reported 2024-2025 layoffs across offices are a real company-stability signal
- Genuinely complex licensing with bots, users, and AI agents priced separately
- Steep learning curve requiring certified developers or a dedicated RPA team
Best for
- Large enterprises in BFSI, manufacturing, or government with dedicated automation teams
- Organizations with existing India operations needing local delivery support
- Not the pick for SMBs or product-engineering teams — try n8n or Zapier instead
Take a look inside
Alternatives
For a simpler, no-code alternative or a Microsoft-native option instead:
Our verdict
Automation Anywhere's genuine category leadership alongside UiPath reflects real, proven strength specifically in BFSI, manufacturing, and government deployments, and its dedicated India delivery infrastructure is a real, distinctive advantage for enterprises operating in that region. The reported reverse-IPO merger with C3.ai is a genuinely fascinating, current corporate story worth watching — using an acquisition of a struggling public company specifically to gain a stock listing is an unusual structure, and while the deal remains preliminary as of mid-2026, it's a real signal of the company's strategic direction worth factoring into any long-term platform decision. The honest things worth weighing seriously: reported 2024-2025 layoffs are a real stability signal, and the genuinely complex, separately-itemized licensing model (bots, users, and AI agents each priced independently) requires real diligence and, typically, a dedicated automation team to deploy cost-effectively. For large enterprises in Automation Anywhere's core verticals with the internal expertise to manage a complex RPA deployment, it remains a genuinely strong, well-established choice; for smaller teams, a simpler tool is worth trying first.
FAQ
Is Automation Anywhere merging with C3.ai?
Talks were reported in late January 2026, in a structure where Automation Anywhere would acquire the publicly-traded C3.ai and use the resulting entity to go public, sidestepping a traditional IPO — as of May 2026, the deal remains preliminary with no pricing terms disclosed and no certainty it will close.
Why would Automation Anywhere want to acquire C3.ai specifically?
C3.ai is already publicly listed on NYSE, so acquiring it would give privately-held Automation Anywhere a path to public markets without a traditional IPO process — notably, C3.ai's market cap has collapsed roughly 92% over five years, making it a comparatively affordable acquisition target for the much larger private company.
Has Automation Anywhere had layoffs recently?
Yes, reports indicate roughly 300+ layoffs across multiple offices globally during 2024-2025, a real signal worth factoring into any long-term platform commitment.
Is Automation Anywhere's pricing simple to understand?
No, it's genuinely complex — attended bots, unattended bots, users, and AI agents are all priced separately, requiring careful budgeting and typically a certified developer or dedicated RPA team to deploy cost-effectively.
Is Automation Anywhere a good fit for small businesses?
Generally no — it's considered genuine overkill for SMBs and product-engineering teams, who are typically better served by simpler tools like n8n, Zapier, or Power Automate.
Where is Automation Anywhere particularly strong?
Banking and financial services (BFSI), manufacturing, IT services, and government sectors specifically, with a real, dedicated delivery capability for Indian enterprises through its Bangalore and Hyderabad offices.