HubSpot vs Salesforce

Data sovereignty in marketing: What if HubSpot fails?

This article is a first-person commentary by a sixclicks team member on data sovereignty in marketing. It argues that critical business data often lies outside visible tools like CRMs, and discusses the importance of protecting 'crown jewels' like process knowledge and concepts. The author details their setup: a local Obsidian vault with Markdown files, version-controlled and hosted on Hetzner, to avoid vendor lock-in. They emphasize that personal data should only be anonymized before entering language models, and domain knowledge should not be uploaded to public models. The piece advocates for a 'kill-switch plan' with data exports and tests like vacation handover. It also notes that European alternatives are not automatically more sovereign; portability matters more than location. The article includes three actionable checks and mentions piloting local open-source models via Ollama.

• sixclicks uses Obsidian Vault with Markdown files for knowledge storage.
• The knowledge base is hosted on a Hetzner server.
• The author anonymizes personal data before using it in language models.

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.

Convelly Launches AI Platform for SME Customer Communication

Viennese startup Convelly has launched a platform for small and medium-sized service businesses that integrates customer communication, sales, and appointment booking into a single application. The AI-powered platform consolidates messages from multiple digital channels into a shared inbox, with a customer-facing AI assistant that handles inquiries, suggests appointment times, and records bookings. The internal assistant 'Elly' can execute tasks described in natural language. Convelly runs on open language models hosted on servers in Germany, emphasizing data sovereignty for EU-based businesses. The platform is available as a web app and on iOS/Android, in German, English, and Arabic. The company faces strong competition from established players like HubSpot and Zendesk, as well as specialized messaging platforms like Superchat, but differentiates itself with open models and European hosting. No pricing or funding details were disclosed.

• Convelly launched its AI platform for SME customer communication on September 25, 2026.
• The platform uses open language models hosted on servers in Germany.
• Convelly is available as a web app and for iPhone and Android.

TikTok Adds AI Shopping Assistant and Direct Brand Checkout

TikTok announced the rollout of a new AI shopping assistant and a checkout feature that allows users to purchase directly from brands within the app, separate from TikTok Shop. These features, now beginning to roll out in the U.S., are built in partnership with commerce platforms and payment providers including Salesforce, Shopify, Shoplazza, and Stripe. The goal, according to David Kaufman, TikTok's global head of monetization and product partnerships, is to move users from discovery to action, leveraging AI to enhance the shopping journey. The announcement was made on Monday and represents a significant step in TikTok's e-commerce integration.

• TikTok is rolling out an AI shopping assistant in the U.S.
• TikTok introduces a new checkout feature for direct brand purchases, separate from TikTok Shop.
• The features are built in partnership with Salesforce, Shopify, Shoplazza, and Stripe.

Google AI Overviews for Brands Include Third-Party Sources

Google's AI Overviews increasingly appear for brand-related search queries, providing visibility but also risks. A recent Ahrefs analysis shows that in September, 73.3% of branded searches in the US triggered AI Overviews on desktop, up from 61.3% in July. These overviews often cite third-party sources like Wikipedia, YouTube, and LinkedIn, not just the brand's own content. This can lead to misinformation or negative portrayals, and Google may be liable for false statements, as a German court ruling indicated. Brands and SEOs must manage their reputation across third-party sources, as clicks from AI Overviews can benefit not only the brand but also publishers and creators.

• Google's AI Overviews appear for 73.3% of branded searches on US desktop in September, up from 61.3% in July.
• AI Overviews for brands often cite third-party sources like Wikipedia, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
• Google introduced a brand filter in Search Console to help SEOs analyze brand-related queries.

Multiplayer AI: The Shift from Smarter Individuals to a Smarter Company

Salesforce's newsroom now features a new article on Multiplayer AI, highlighting the shift from individual intelligence to company-wide intelligence. The article is dated Sep 24, 2026.