Ulf Persson doesn’t command attention like a typical Silicon Valley founder. Instead, he earns it — quietly, methodically, and with results that are hard to ignore. As CEO of ABBYY, Persson is reshaping how some of the world’s most process-heavy companies apply AI. He achieves this not through flashy language models or headline-grabbing demos, but through infrastructure-level automation that delivers tangible business value.
ABBYY isn’t here to chase AI hype; it’s here to defy the status quo. As one of the few companies redefining what enterprise AI can really achieve, ABBYY isn’t disrupting for the sake of it – it’s transforming what truly matters, making businesses smarter and faster.. Under Persson’s leadership, this focused approach is proving incredibly effective.
We sat down with Ulf at the ABBYY AI Summit 2025 in London (where we conducted this interview in late May). At the event, ABBYY showcased new developments in Document AI, Process Intelligence, and a growing marketplace of partner-led solutions. Persson, however, wasn’t primarily focused on product features. His attention was squarely on what those features meant in the hands of customers.
“The magic isn’t just in recognising a document,” he told us. “It’s in knowing what to do with the data inside it — and doing it automatically, end to end.”
This has been his blueprint from the start: make AI invisible, dependable, and seamlessly integrated with how businesses already operate.
The CEO Who Chose Purpose Over Hype
While the broader AI space has been filled with noise—generative models, hallucinating bots, and wild valuations—ABBYY has grown its footprint quietly and intentionally. Under Persson, the company has leaned into use cases that are measurable and mature: invoice approvals, document classification, regulatory reporting, and intelligent routing.
The metrics speak for themselves:
- 95% straight-through processing
- 30% faster decision-making
- 400% employee productivity gains
This exemplifies enterprise AI at its most pragmatic. And Persson believes this is exactly what the market truly needs.
“We’re not here to impress with theatre,” he said. “We’re here to deliver results companies can rely on.”
This commitment to tangible outcomes is a significant differentiator, especially now. CFOs are scrutinising AI budgets, and boards are increasingly questioning whether the numerous experiments of the past two years will ever truly scale.
Building AI That People Can Trust
One of Persson’s most consistent themes is trust — not just in the technology itself, but in how it’s deployed. ABBYY was among the first companies to align its AI risk management strategy with the EU AI Act, building explainability and governance into its platform as a core design principle, rather than an afterthought.
“We don’t build for compliance because we have to,” Persson stated. “We build for it because it’s the right thing to do. That’s how you create space for your customers to innovate.”
This vision influences everything from ABBYY’s API architecture to its approach to data privacy and integration. It’s why enterprise IT leaders are increasingly looking to the company for automation solutions they can confidently put into production, not just pilot.
Scaling Without Disruption
What makes Persson’s strategy stand out is his deep understanding of how real companies operate. He recognises that most organisations aren’t ready to rip and replace their existing tech stacks.
Therefore, ABBYY’s approach is to seamlessly fit in — through developer-ready integrations, robust orchestration layers, and strategic partnerships with the tools customers already use. ABBYY’s worldwide network of partners grew by 20% during 2024 as organizations continue to increase their artificial intelligence budgets to improve process automation
They’ve built strong alliances with key players such as:
- Microsoft, for cloud deployment and productivity integration
- UiPath, for orchestrated RPA
- Alteryx, for deeper analytics across workflows
- Leading system integrators, who help deploy ABBYY solutions across global enterprises
“We’re not trying to be everything,” Persson explained. “We’re trying to be essential.”
This subtle but crucial shift — from being just a platform to becoming an essential layer within existing operations — is unlocking repeatable success. Through the ABBYY Marketplace, use cases that prove successful in one vertical can be quickly redeployed across others. The result is speed, scalability, and an ROI that becomes visible within weeks, not quarters.
The Long Game: Education, Ecosystems, and Execution
Persson also understands that a great product isn’t enough. People need to understand how to use it effectively and confidently.
This is why ABBYY launched ABBYY University, which recently surpassed 18,000 graduates. From IT teams to business users, this initiative helps enterprises build internal capability in automation, AI, and process intelligence, reducing reliance on external consultants for every need.
It’s also why Persson invests heavily in building a robust ecosystem. ABBYY doesn’t need to own every solution; it just needs to connect the right pieces and prove they work, consistently and at scale.
Why His Approach with ABBYY Matters Now
While there are plenty of AI CEOs selling grand, futuristic “moonshots,” Ulf Persson is offering something fundamentally different: a clear, proven path to tangible business results.
In a year where AI funding has become harder to secure, internal stakeholders are demanding quantifiable value, and regulators are tightening the rules, ABBYY’s position looks more relevant than ever.
So, is Ulf Persson the most underestimated CEO in enterprise AI? Maybe. But the growing number of customers he’s quietly winning over certainly don’t seem to be underestimating him at all.
