Architecting What's Next with Salvatore Lombardo

As the global economy continues to evolve, Coupa is at the forefront—transforming how companies make decisions and trade with one another. From automating workflows to optimizing entire supply networks, we’re building a new intelligent enterprise platform powered by agentic AI.
But equally important is having the right people in place to guide this transformation and vision.
We recently sat down with Salvatore Lombardo, Coupa’s Chief Product & Technology Officer, to talk about his AI vision, the company’s compelling data advantage, and why now is a career-defining opportunity for engineers to help us build tomorrow together.
What drew you to Coupa?
Salvatore: After leading product and engineering for global procurement platforms for many years, I saw an inflection point coming—where AI, data, and cloud-native architecture could converge to fundamentally reshape how companies make decisions and operate. I joined Coupa almost a year ago because it was clear this was the place to turn that vision into reality.
Coupa had the foundation: a unified platform, deep domain expertise, and a uniquely rich dataset built from real spend transactions across a global network. What we’re building now isn’t incremental—it’s a new operating model for enterprise decision-making. One powered by agentic AI, fueled by trusted data, and designed to help businesses move faster, collaborate smarter, and create lasting value.
This is the most exciting time to be a part of Coupa. We’re scaling fast and seeking talent that wants to shape not just a product but build a platform and lead the industry.

What makes Coupa’s AI platform so different?
Salvatore: Coupa has built something that no one else can. Our foundation is a purpose-built dataset representing over $8 trillion in spend across 10+ million buyers and suppliers—data that’s ethically sourced, customer-permissioned, and refined over 19 years.
Our AI isn’t a feature layer. It’s built into the DNA of our platform—an agentic AI architecture with real-time intelligence that spans every workflow, from design to pay. We're driving the shift from process automation to intelligent orchestration with agentic AI agents that reason, collaborate, flag risks, and take action.
And we’re doing it responsibly. Everything we build is aligned with evolving regulations and built on trust.
Why would an AI/ML engineer want to work here?
Salvatore: This isn’t about shipping another model or building code. It’s about shaping the AI architecture and building the network that powers the future of global trade. Our engineers are designing systems that:
Power Coupa’s AI agent, Navi, who guides users, flags risks, and connects systems
Empower autonomous decision-making across industries and borders
Improve supply chain resilience, pricing intelligence, and fraud detection
Surface real-time recommendations with RAG pipelines, agent orchestration, and hierarchical memory
This is agentic AI in action, and I fully believe we're just getting started. We’re building fast, thinking big, and shaping what’s next.
If you're hands-on, fluent in Python or Java, and excited by cloud-native architecture—this is the kind of challenge that defines careers. You’ll work with engineers, product leaders, and data scientists who care deeply about building AI that works—and makes a difference.
At Coupa, your impact goes beyond code—you’ll guide teams, shape our technical direction through RFCs, and represent us at top tech conferences as we continue to strengthen our presence in the AI community..

What kind of impact are customers seeing already?
Salvatore: That’s the coolest part. Our customers are gaining real value with Coupa AI:
- 75% reduction in supplier sourcing and vetting cycles
- $1M+ in detected fraud in year one
- 10–20% savings on shipping and freight costs using Coupa benchmark data
- 60%+ drop in carbon emissions through network optimization
But even beyond savings, they’re transforming how they operate. AI is becoming a strategic lever—not just for productivity—but for margin expansion, agility, and innovation.
At Coupa, we’re building an intelligent agent platform to power the future of global trade—autonomous, adaptive, and always on. If you're a builder, innovator, or systems thinker ready to leave your architectural fingerprint on enterprise AI, there’s never been a better time to join us.
Explore our
Sr. Principal AI Architect position and other openings at
Coupa Careers. Help us shape what’s next.








