menu_open Columnists
Sheryl Estrada

Sheryl Estrada

Fortune

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Why Block’s COO is tracking ‘gross profit per employee’—and how AI is on track to double it to $2 million

Block's Amrita Ahuja explains what is driving gross profit per employee to record levels inside the company.

latest 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

The SEC may be about to blow up the quarterly earnings cycle. Here’s why CFOs are nervous.

Quarterly earnings have shaped markets for 50 years. That may be about to change.

yesterday 3

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Before Disney named a new CEO, it made sure the CFO was staying

Josh D'Amaro officially succeeded Bob Iger as CEO on March 18.

previous day 2

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

The ‘vibe coding’ threat to enterprise software is overblown, Workday’s CEO says—here’s his vision for what actually comes next

Workday's new Sana tools signal a shift toward AI agents in the future of finance.

wednesday 2

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

$12 billion AI startup founder says future tech giants could operate with fewer than 100 employees

Advances in AI are enabling some startups to scale to millions of users with lean teams.

17.03.2026 5

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman is convinced AI isn’t a death knell for software

As AI reshapes industries, Friedman shares how Nasdaq is focused on innovation.

16.03.2026 6

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman found her ideal job: ‘I realized I liked risk-taking more than risk management’

Friedman shares the mindset that shaped her career.

15.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Thrivent bucks the AI layoff trend and plans to add 600 financial advisors this year: This is ‘how we grow our business’

The Fortune 500 company is ramping up a training pipeline to staff the next generation of advisors.

13.03.2026 4

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen is stepping down after 18 years—as pressure on the company mounts to deliver on AI

Adobe beats first-quarter earnings estimates, reports record AI-driven revenue growth, and outlines cautious guidance for Q2.

12.03.2026 4

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Why CFOs should pay attention to Elon Musk’s SpaceX IPO—and its rumored $1.5 trillion market cap

Musk’s record IPO pitch leans on massive capex, thin profits, and a very long runway.

12.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How AI is about to transform the C-suite for small businesses

Mastercard is rolling out an AI-powered virtual CFO.

11.03.2026 4

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Most small businesses can’t afford a full-time finance chief. So Mastercard is debuting a ‘virtual CFO’ built with AI

The new offering aims to help business owners manage cash flow, spot risks, and make CFO‑level decisions.

10.03.2026 6

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Something big is changing in auditing

"We’re already seeing the rise of the 'AI Auditor,'" says Steve Soter, VP and industry principal at Workiva.

10.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How Block’s CFO became convinced the company needed only 60% of its staff

The finance chief discusses why a profitable fintech is betting that an AI-native workforce can outpace a much larger one.

06.03.2026 4

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Exclusive: Block’s CFO explains the AI leaps over 18 months that led to the decision to slash nearly half its workforce

New tools including its custom LLM "goose" gave leaders confidence that smaller teams can now handle “really meaningful bodies of work,” says...

06.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Can Anthropic’s CFO sell Wall Street on an AI firm Washington calls a ‘risk’?

Anthropic’s clash with the Pentagon and its “supply chain risk” designation may create headwinds for the company, Wedbush’s Dan Ives says.

05.03.2026 3

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Finance leaders are divided on how they’d use potential tariff refunds—with just 18% saying they’d fully roll back price increases

Supreme Court’s IEEPA ruling raises questions on sharing potential refunds with customers or suppliers.

04.03.2026 7

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Why investing in cybersecurity just became a ‘must-have’ for CFOs

As geopolitical risks escalate, finance chiefs are increasingly treating security like any other material balance-sheet exposure.

03.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Tariffs meet oil shock: Corporate margins face a new squeeze

Tariffs and the Iran conflict are converging to drive up costs and uncertainty for corporate finance leaders.

02.03.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

She joined Block to build AI. Weeks later, AI cost her job.

Block cut more than 4,000 jobs, citing efficiency gains from AI, underscoring how even AI-focused roles are vulnerable in today’s tech restructuring.

28.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Intuit’s CFO isn’t flinching at AI. He says it’s fueling the company’s next growth phase

AI anxiety has hit software stocks, but Intuit’s CFO says the company is leaning into the technology.

27.02.2026 20

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Nvidia’s record quarter and what it signals for CFOs: ‘Compute equals revenue’

As hyperscalers pour billions into AI, Nvidia’s results offer a new benchmark for capital spending on compute.

26.02.2026 9

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Cava trounces fast-casual peers with 22% revenue growth, surpassing $1 billion in sales for the first time

Cava CFO Tricia Tolivar talks innovation, growth, and a focus on talent.

25.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Why having a chief accounting officer is a secret weapon for CFOs — extending their tenure and making it more likely they’ll become CEO

Research points to a lever for retaining CFOs.

24.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Supreme Court limits Trump tariffs, but CFOs still face a volatile trade landscape

Companies may have to juggle new levies, refund questions, and an unsettled outlook for 2026.

23.02.2026 20

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

CFO whose business fell 10% from tariffs cheers Supreme Court ruling: ‘No single person should have unilateral authority over tariffs’

Matt Totsch, the CFO of manufacturer Trim-Tex, said businesses like his have been dealing with crippling uncertainty caused by Trump’s chaotic...

20.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Amazon surpasses Walmart as the largest company by revenue in the U.S. as retail’s tech era takes hold

Amazon’s revenue lead over Walmart caps a broader shift as both giants lean on AI.

20.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

More CFOs are getting the top job—but can they keep it?

AI is now the wildcard for both reaching the CEO role and staying there.

19.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Citi’s new CFO is the latest sign the ‘operator’ era has arrived

From running U.S. Personal Banking to steering the balance sheet, Gonzalo Luchetti embodies the new CFO profile.

18.02.2026 20

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How FedEx CFO John Dietrich plans to save $2 billion by the end of 2027

Dietrich is betting that a unified network, strict capital discipline, tech investments can squeeze more profit—not just growth—in the years ahead.

17.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How 100‑year‑old Caterpillar went from making construction equipment to becoming an AI market darling

Once synonymous with construction sites, the industrial giant is now digging into AI-fueled data center demand.

14.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How 100‑year‑old Caterpillar went from making construction equipment to becoming an AI market darling

Once synonymous with construction sites, the industrial giant is now digging into AI-fueled data center demand.

14.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

CFO pipelines are ‘completely empty’ says search firm expert

CFO succession is largely reactive, as boards scramble to find strategic finance chiefs.

13.02.2026 20

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How HPE’s CFO used AI to transform the 100-slide Monday meeting her team spent all week preparing for

Marie Myers discusses an AI platform designed to rethink how finance operates and how a CFO leads.

12.02.2026 6

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

HPE turns finance into the front line of enterprise AI

HPE’s AI named Alfred is shrinking reporting cycles and rewriting the CFO playbook.

12.02.2026 4

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

The most unexpected winner of the AI boom? Caterpillar

With Caterpillar stock up 100% in a year, investors have found a new AI darling in the Dow’s top performer.

11.02.2026 2

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

The Knot has a new CFO who is doubling down on AI

After a career spanning BET, startups and Ryan Reynolds’s ad firm, Michael Pickrum is bringing his experience to The Knot.

09.02.2026 5

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How e.l.f. Beauty has used Super Bowl ads to rocket from 10% brand awareness to 40%

CFO Mandy Fields discusses the strategy finance and marketing use to help the brand reach new shoppers.

06.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

With PayPal stock down 80%, finance chief Jamie Miller steps in as interim CEO

PayPal turns to HP’s Enrique Lores as the next chief executive.

04.02.2026 6

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

From Wall Street to Washington: The CEO who is overhauling the IRS and SSA

Frank Bisignano brings a corporate playbook to two of the federal government’s largest agencies.

03.02.2026 6

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

What CFOs at Adobe, Dataminr, and Huntington say about scaling AI

From pilots to production, finance chiefs are reshaping AI strategy around data, governance, and speed.

02.02.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Tech CFOs face a new challenge: Selling unprecedented capex as ‘disciplined’

Meta and Microsoft CFOs frame AI spending as disciplined, demand-driven.

30.01.2026 5

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

ADM settles accounting scandal—can AI help prevent the next one?

ADM’s $40 million SEC settlement over its nutrition segment highlights why ultimate accountability still rests with CFOs.

29.01.2026 8

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

More than 30 years after fraud at Archer Daniels Midland inspired a Matt Damon film, the company was hit with a $40M fine in a price-fixing probe

The SEC alleges ADM misled investors about profits in its nutrition segment, with former executives facing civil penalties. 

29.01.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

OpenAI digs in on a fundamental disconnect in new research: AI is ready for primetime, many businesses aren’t

The real challenge isn't building better AI—it's actually using it.

28.01.2026 8

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar: There’s a ‘mismatch’ between AI’s abilities and the value companies are capturing

There’s a growing gap between AI’s potential and how companies actually use it.

28.01.2026 40

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Tether minted around $15 billion in profit last year—and its CEO makes a strong case for finance leaders to finally embrace stablecoins

A Fortune deep dive into Tether makes clear that stablecoins are shifting from crypto curiosity to core infrastructure. 

27.01.2026 5

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

How leaders like Jamie Dimon and Microsoft president Brad Smith are trying to ease employee anxiety about AI

With AI moving from pilot projects to company-wide deployment, leaders say the future of work depends on whether technology is used to empower people...

26.01.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

After 160 years, Huntington Bancshares is powering digital growth—by opening a branch almost every 2 weeks, says CFO

Zachary Wasserman talks about the bank's strategy and growth.

23.01.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada

Why Jollibee is turning to a U.S. IPO to fuel global growth

Global CFO Richard Shin discusses separating Jollibee Foods Corporation's international unit and listing it in the U.S.

20.01.2026 10

Fortune

Sheryl Estrada