Technology
US Senate Committee Investigates Amazon, Apple, and Meta for H-1B Visa Hiring Practices
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley and senior member Durbin recently sent letters to 10 large companies, including Amazon, Apple, and Meta, requesting explanations for their H-1B visa hiring practices. Bipartisan lawmakers are concerned that these companies overly rely on H-1B visas to fill technical positions, potentially displacing American workers. The investigation is set against a backdrop of higher unemployment rates in the tech sector compared to the overall economy, as well as President Trump's executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications.
GitLab Appoints Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer
On September 20, GitLab appointed James Shen as interim Chief Financial Officer and Simon Mundy as Chief Accounting Officer, succeeding Brian Robins, who has departed. Robins will move to Snowflake to serve as CFO. The company is also advancing its AI strategy and has announced executive compensation adjustments.
Enterprise software spending accelerates as AI application wave boosts IT budgets
A report released by West Monroe on Monday shows that enterprise software spending is accelerating as generative and agentic AI features are integrated into enterprise software. The survey covered 310 procurement, IT, and finance executives from companies with annual revenues of at least $100 million. Over 90% of respondents expect AI adoption to increase technology budgets, and nearly half of enterprises see license and subscription cost increases for renewals and new contracts exceeding the industry average of 10%.
How Finance Departments Can Break the Habit of Saying "No": A Tech Company CFO's Practice
In most companies, the finance department is often seen as a natural "gatekeeper," habitually saying "no" to requests that lack sufficient assurance. As CFO of Agiloft, a contract management software company, Angel Lange is trying to rewrite this narrative. She proposes a work philosophy centered on "help me find a way to say yes," advocating that finance teams should deeply understand business goals and balance cost control with supporting growth through creative modeling and collaboration. The article uses examples such as sales expansion, product investment, and M&A integration to illustrate how this "affirmative-first" mindset helps companies remain agile in high-growth environments, and suggests that financial leaders can gradually shift from "gatekeeper" to "enabler" by recruiting better employees and empowering teams to participate in strategic discussions.
Podcast: Unified Platform Drives Both Data and Efficiency Improvements
In the CFO Dive podcast, KPMG Director Kelly Owens and Workday Senior Director Jim Gahagan discuss the value of a unified ERP platform, drawing on KPMG's 2025 banking survey to analyze how real-time data insights help CFOs optimize regulatory data management, reduce audit risk, and enhance operational efficiency.
Trump's New Policy: $100,000 Fee Added to H-1B Visa Applications, Tech Employers Face New Pressure
The Trump administration announced an additional $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, aiming to curb abuse and protect American workers. Tech industry and human resources leaders face new pressure, with companies like Microsoft requiring visa-holding employees to return to the U.S. The White House press secretary clarified that the fee applies only to new visas and does not affect renewals or current holders.
OpenAI appoints former xAI finance chief as finance officer for AI infrastructure business
OpenAI announced on Tuesday the appointment of Mike Liberatore as finance officer (BFO) for its AI infrastructure business, reporting to CFO Sarah Friar, with a focus on supporting teams that scale access to computing resources. Liberatore previously left xAI after only four months in the role, sparking discussions about his adaptability.
Kroger Accelerates AI Strategy, Focusing on Operational Efficiency and Cost Optimization
Kroger announced accelerated AI deployment during its Q2 2025 earnings call, covering areas such as pricing, shrink, and fulfillment. Leveraging years of data accumulation and support from its 84.51° division, the company plans to enhance competitiveness through AI and will provide updates on strategic review progress in Q3.
Survey: Most Enterprises' AI Cost Forecasts Inaccurate, Errors Commonly Exceed 10%
A survey commissioned by AI cost management company Mavvrik and conducted by Benchmarkit reveals that most enterprises have significant deviations in AI cost forecasts: 56% of enterprises have errors between 11% and 25%, and nearly a quarter (24%) have errors exceeding 50%. 84% of respondents stated that AI costs cause gross margin losses of more than 6%, with over a quarter of enterprises experiencing losses of 16% or more. Mavvrik CEO Sundeep Goel predicts that as pilot projects transition to production environments in the first half of 2026, CFOs will face substantial cost overruns.
Vena launches AI 'planning agents' to help finance teams dramatically compress budget cycles
Vena, a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software provider, announced on Monday the launch of new artificial intelligence 'planning agents' that have already helped customers reduce budget cycles by more than 60% during private preview. Vena stated that these agents operate seamlessly within Excel and other Microsoft products, aiming to accelerate budgeting, forecasting, and scenario modeling. The company's Chief Technology Officer, Hugh Cumming, noted that the tool enables decision-makers to simulate outcomes and adjust strategies without waiting weeks or months.