Asana vs Zendesk

Asana Cuts Browser Agent Costs 76x with GPT-6.1 Sol

Asana leveraged OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra in Codex to optimize its browser agent's workflow on GPT-6.1 Sol, achieving a 76x cost reduction and 5x speed improvement. The study, conducted by StackAI CTO Frank Hidalgo, tested four models and implemented caching and screenshot policies that reduced estimated model costs from $36.21 to $0.47 per run. The optimization allowed Asana to offer faster, more capable models to customers while lowering operational costs. Asana has released the changes to StackAI and plans to incorporate similar testing into platform evaluations.

• Asana optimized its browser agent on GPT-6.1 Sol, reducing model costs from $36.21 to $0.47 per run (76x cheaper) and speeding up runs from 22.5 minutes to 4 minutes (5x faster).
• The optimization used GPT-6 Astra in Codex to automate experiments, cutting research time from an estimated 1-2 months to about a week.
• The optimized workflow retained browsing history of up to 480,000 characters and used a caching policy that reduced input costs by 89% (5% of uncached price).

10-Q Financial Filing Analysis for Asana (2026-09-03)

For the second quarter of fiscal 2027 ended July 31, 2026, Asana reported total revenues of $216.43 million, representing a 9.9% year-over-year growth compared to $196.94 million in the prior-year period. Net loss narrowed to $39.19 million from $48.36 million in Q2 fiscal 2026, driven by improved operating leverage as total operating expenses remained essentially flat at $227.32 million despite expanding platform investments. For the six-month period, revenues reached $421.52 million with a net loss of $53.59 million, while operating cash flow rose significantly to $86.29 million. Strategically, the company accelerated its AI enterprise positioning through the May 2026 acquisition of Eigen Inc. (StackAI) for $74.63 million in cash, expanding its no-code AI automation capabilities. Concurrently, Asana continued active capital returns, repurchasing 14.81 million Class A shares for $96.53 million during the first half under its expanded share repurchase program.

• Q2 FY2027 revenue reached $216.43 million (up 9.9% YoY) and six-month revenue rose to $421.52 million, while six-month operating cash flow increased to $86.29 million.
• Completed the acquisition of StackAI (Eigen Inc.) on May 27, 2026, for $74.63 million in cash consideration to accelerate AI platform workflows.
• Repurchased 14.81 million shares of Class A common stock for $96.53 million during the six months ended July 31, 2026, leaving $102.9 million in authorized capacity.

Meta launches Muse for Small Business, targeting enterprise AI

Meta expanded its AI agent Muse to small businesses with Muse for Small Business, initially available in the US and Canada, following the successful launch of the Muse app in early September. The agent integrates with over 20 tools including Shopify, Dropbox, Slack, Asana, QuickBooks, Intuit, Canva, Stripe, Box, Zoom, and Notion, and automates tasks like customer communication, cash flow management, inventory, website creation, to-do identification, sales analysis, and anomaly detection. Unlike traditional chatbots, users can set concrete goals, and the agent analyzes data from connected apps to derive actions, executing multi-step workflows. It uses a freemium model with premium plans at $20 and $100 per month, surpassing three million downloads. Data privacy concerns have been raised, and Amazon requested removal from Muse due to lack of consent. Muse does not share VM data with Meta's ads system. The service targets 200 million SMBs; Jefferies estimates $10.8B subscription revenue by 2027. Meta's stock rose 25% in September, amid competition from OpenAI's 'dots'.

• Meta launched Muse for Small Business, an AI agent for SMBs, integrating with over 20 tools including Shopify, Dropbox, Slack, Asana, QuickBooks, Intuit, Canva, Stripe, Box, Zoom, and Notion.
• The tool uses a freemium model with premium plans at $20 and $100 per month, and allows natural language queries to generate business insights and execute multi-step workflows.
• Muse has surpassed three million downloads and is available in the US and Canada; data privacy concerns have been raised.

Zendesk Appoints Rachita Sundar as Chief Financial Officer

Zendesk today announced Rachita Sundar has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer, effective September 28,…

Good Tape Raises Funding, Launches Explore for Interview Insights

Copenhagen-based AI transcription startup Good Tape has raised €600k from Nordic Makers, an investment group founded by former unicorn founders. Zendesk co-founder Alexander Aghassipour led the investment and joined Good Tape's board. The funding is part of a management buyout that made Good Tape an independent company, with co-founders Lasse Finderup and Ýmir Gyðuson Gíslason buying out Zetland, the Danish newsroom from which it spun out. Good Tape also launched Explore, a feature that connects new recordings to a user's entire transcription history, surfacing contradictions, opinions, and supporting arguments. Explore is free initially. With over 15 million transcriptions in 100+ languages, Good Tape serves journalists, researchers, lawyers, and consultants, and is used by 3 million people in over 150 countries. The company emphasizes EU data residency, GDPR compliance, and does not train AI on customer data.

• Good Tape raised €600k from Nordic Makers, led by Zendesk co-founder Alexander Aghassipour, who joined the board.
• The funding is part of a management buyout, making Good Tape independent from Zetland.
• Good Tape launched Explore, connecting new recordings to past transcriptions to surface patterns.

Zendesk Names Rachita Sundar as CFO

Zendesk announced the appointment of Rachita Sundar as Chief Financial Officer, effective September 28, 2026. Sundar, who brings over 20 years of experience in finance and operations at technology companies including Microsoft Azure, HubSpot, and Qualtrics, succeeds Julie Swinney, who transitions to Chief Administrative Officer and executive sponsor of Zendesk's Employee Service business. At Qualtrics, Sundar helped finance and close the $6.75 billion acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta. CEO Tom Eggemeier highlighted her financial rigor and operational expertise as Zendesk scales toward a multi-billion-dollar AI business.

• Rachita Sundar appointed CFO of Zendesk, effective September 28, 2026.
• Sundar has over 20 years of experience at Microsoft Azure, HubSpot, and Qualtrics.
• At Qualtrics, Sundar helped finance and close the $6.75 billion acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta.