Here at Anaplan, we have reinvented how companies see, plan, and run their businesses. Our platform allows our customers to uncover new insights, connect their strategy to their plans, and work in ways they had not previously thought possible. We're growing fast, constantly innovating, and couldn't be prouder to help our customers move forward with confidence in a sophisticated and changing world. We are looking for forward-thinking people who put customer experience at the forefront of every decision. Individuals who thrive on challenges and are ready to grasp the opportunity of a lifetime.

Here at Anaplan, we have reinvented how companies see, plan, and run their businesses. Our platform allows our customers to uncover new insights, connect their strategy to their plans, and work in ways they had not previously thought possible. We're growing fast, constantly innovating, and couldn't be prouder to help our customers move forward with confidence in a sophisticated and changing world. We are looking for forward-thinking people who bend over backward to put customers first. Individuals who thrive on challenge and are ready to grasp the opportunity of a lifetime.

AI is one of the hottest buzzwords right now. And, while almost every media outlet is talking about AI, most people do not even know what it is and what exactly it can do. AI is a mystery technology. Some of the messages in the media warn that it could take all of our jobs, replacing humans completely in the workforce. While both messages grab your attention, unsurprisingly, neither is entirely true.

Biggest deal of the year: Salesforce buys Tableau. At $15.7 billion, this one takes the size prize. The critics says it's just Salesforce buying revenue. I agree it's not as synergistic as it could be and they'll have to work out overlaps, but as I point out in this blog, Salesforce is the one acquiring company that tends to retain the leadership and culture of the companies it acquires. Tableau has a unique culture, as is always apparent at the annual Tableau Conference, and if the acquirer can't retain that vibe, they'll lose the value of the company.

It is often overlooked amid all the talk about the ideal attributes of leaders. But one of the key roles of managers is to make decisions. And it is arguable that the sheer amount of information available to the modern executive has made the task harder rather than easier. This should not continue to be the case, though. Artificial Intelligence might be widely seen as spelling the end of a whole range of jobs, but there is a growing view that it could have a more benign effect.

Will artificial intelligence replace humans, or assist humans? We'll see this debate play out over and over, from the Westworld HBO television show that begins on Sunday to tech events that happen every week in the valley. I recently moderated a debate about artificial intelligence in the CEO suite at the NetEvents Global Press & Analyst Summit at the beautiful Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif. A.I. is on an accelerated improvement path. Deep learning neural networks have made huge progress in the last five years. We're seeing improvements in tech such as voice recognition, face recognition, autonomous cars are coming. So the question is, will we have The Terminator and Skynet? Or Minority Report, where Tom Cruise is aided by all the computers that he needs? Science fiction has taught us to distrust A.I. and to believe in human intuition, instead. But what happens in the CEO suite?