SaaStr CFO Summit
May 15, 2025
The CFO is Dead.
Long Live the Chief Automation Officer.
That was the bold headline at the CFO SaaStr summit. But what was more compelling than the title was the conversation unfolding on stage
Today’s CFO isn’t just trying to cut costs. They’re trying to free up their teams from the kind of work they’re massively overqualified for—manual reconciliations, chasing down late payments, formatting reports. Necessary work, but let’s be honest, soul-sucking.
One line that kept surfacing: “Automate the bottom of the pyramid.”
Automate the bottom, refactor the middle and focus your people at the top.
Pyramid image by Seema at A16Z
It means starting with the repetitive, low-leverage tasks that bog down strategic thinking.
What’s exciting is that CFOs aren’t just talking about automation. They’re already deploying it. Not to replace their teams, but to elevate them.
A formula many are using to decide where to start? Value + Risk + Need = Automation sweet spot.
The CFO role is changing. It’s no longer just about tracking the past — it’s about building tools for real-time decisions and growth.
MC: Lloyed Lobo
Speakers:
Sowmya Ranganathan, ex controller, OpenAI
Ahsan Malik, CFO, SnapLogic
Kunal Agarwal, CFO, Gorgias