SAP Hiring Less as It Focuses on Core AI Jobs

SAP is reportedly scaling back hiring and travel as it spends more on AI.

The software company will “exclusively focus new hiring on selected profiles only, mainly core Al roles, that are critical for our long-term success,” according to a message from its board viewed by Bloomberg News and included in a Thursday (July 2) report.

Internal travel not connected to artificial intelligence (AI) development will be put on hold, and the company will seek ways to reduce spending with suppliers.

“As Al reshapes the future of our industry, we are making significant investments in the products and Al capabilities we build, complemented by strategic acquisitions in data and Al where we need additional expertise and technology,” the message said. “By balancing where we invest and where we save, we ensure that SAP remains strong, competitive, and well-positioned for the long term.”

The report adds that SAP CEO Christian Klein is reorganizing the company around AI, with a more hands-on role in management as investors move away from legacy software companies.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg said, the company undertook its second top-level shakeup of the year, giving more responsibilities around AI development to Klein and his operating chief. SAP has also made several acquisitions to improve its AI capabilities, the report added.

In other SAP news, PYMNTS wrote in May about the company’s new rules about API access in the context of wider AI adoption. Although policies like this aren’t new, what is new is the amount of scrutiny they face.

“Customers and user groups argue that the latest iteration of API rules introduces uncertainty around what constitutes permissible use, particularly when APIs are leveraged for AI training, automation or cross-platform data orchestration,” PYMNTS wrote.

“In the pre-AI era, ambiguity-driven delays might have been absorbed into normal enterprise timelines. Today, they can carry competitive consequences.”

Research from the PYMNTS Intelligence report “Smart Spending: How AI Is Transforming Financial Decision Making” shows that more than 8 in 10 chief financial officers at large companies are either already using AI or considering adopting it.

And as FIS Head of Product Management, Payment Networks Mladen Vladic wrote in a new PYMNTS eBook, “AI Runs Payments. Governance Decides What Happens Next,” integration is critical to making sure AI governance is effective.

“Unlike traditional enterprise applications, AI systems are inherently integrative,” PYMNTS wrote. “They require access to multiple data sources, often in real time, and they derive value from connecting previously siloed systems. In this context, APIs are not optional but foundational.”