Databricks buys Row Zero to bring governed spreadsheets to Genie

Databricks, a leading artificial intelligence company, has acquired Row Zero, a spreadsheet tool that connects business teams' spreadsheets directly to live, governed data. This acquisition was made just weeks after Databricks' valuation soared to $190bn. The deal allows Genie, Databricks' AI coworker product, to offer a native spreadsheet interface, enabling users to explore data, model scenarios, and collaborate within a familiar Excel- or Google Sheets-like environment.

Unlike typical spreadsheets, Row Zero connects to live, governed data sources, with queries respecting each user's permissions and every interaction being auditable.

The acquisition addresses the issue of "spreadmarts" – unmanaged spreadsheet files that have been used by teams to store or share data. These spreadsheets often create security and governance gaps when businesses deploy AI agents on sensitive company data. Patrick Wendell, Databricks' co-founder and VP of engineering, stated that the company believes incorporating a seamless spreadsheet experience is crucial as more finance, operations, and go-to-market teams adopt Genie.

Ali Ghodsi, Databricks' co-founder and CEO, expressed excitement about the combination of Genie and Row Zero, highlighting how the team at Row Zero built the product to connect to enterprise-scale data with governance and security at the core. Row Zero founder and CEO Breck Fresen shared that the team developed the product because they wanted spreadsheets that could seamlessly connect to data with governance and security at the core.

Row Zero will continue to be available to Databricks customers across all major clouds and support data sources beyond Databricks' own platform.