# Dave Duffield

> Dave Duffield is an American enterprise software entrepreneur who founded PeopleSoft, co-founded Workday with Aneel Bhusri, and founded Ridgeline. He is Workday’s co-founder and CEO emeritus and Ridgeline’s founder and chairman. With his wife, Cheryl, he established Maddie’s Fund in 1994; his philanthropy also supports Cornell University and education.

- **Role:** Founder and Chairman at Ridgeline; Co-Founder and CEO Emeritus at Workday
- **Organizations:** Workday, PeopleSoft, Ridgeline, Information Associates, Integral Systems, Business Software, IBM, Maddie’s Fund, Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation
- **From:** Cleveland, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, MBA, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Founded six enterprise software companies, including PeopleSoft, Workday and Ridgeline., Helped build PeopleSoft and Workday into publicly traded software companies., Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year, 1996.

## Career timeline

- **1964** — Began his career at IBM after earning his Cornell MBA.
- **1968** — Co-founded Information Associates with John Robinson.
- **1972** — Founded Integral Systems.
- **1979** — Created Business Software to serve commercial customers.
- **1987** — Founded PeopleSoft.
- **1994** — Established Maddie’s Fund with Cheryl Duffield.
- **2005** — Co-founded Workday with Aneel Bhusri following Oracle’s acquisition of PeopleSoft.
- **2012** — Workday completed its initial public offering in October.
- **2014** — Stepped down as Workday co-CEO and continued as chairman.
- **2017** — Founded Ridgeline in Incline Village, Nevada.
- **2021** — Resigned as Workday chairman and became chairman emeritus.
- **2024** — Continued as Ridgeline chairman as Dave Blair became sole CEO in May.
- **2026** — Led Ridgeline’s $250 million Series E financing in September.

## Achievements

- Founded six enterprise software companies, including PeopleSoft, Workday and Ridgeline.
- Helped build PeopleSoft and Workday into publicly traded software companies.
- Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year, 1996.
- Cornell Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award, 2018.
- Cornell announced a $371.5 million pledge in January 2026 and named its engineering college for him.
- Founded Maddie’s Fund with Cheryl Duffield in 1994 to support companion animals.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Led a $250 million Series E for Ridgeline at a $1.425 billion valuation; customers and affiliates participated.
- **2026-01** — Cornell announced a $371.5 million pledge and the naming of the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering.
- **2025-03** — Cornell announced a $100 million gift to expand and update Duffield Hall.
- **2024-05** — Dave Blair became Ridgeline CEO, with Duffield continuing as founder and chairman.

## Links

- Website: https://www.workday.com/en-us/company/about-workday/leadership/dave-duffield.html

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dave-duffield
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21