Carl Eschenbach Net Worth 2026: Sequoia Capital Partner

Carl Eschenbach is a partner at Sequoia Capital and the former chief executive of Workday. Before that he spent 14 years at VMware, where he rose to president and chief operating officer. No reputable publisher, including Forbes, Bloomberg or Celebrity Net Worth, has estimated his net worth, so this page does not give one. His wealth comes from decades of executive stock awards, board seats at major tech companies and his share of Sequoia's investment returns.

What is Carl Eschenbach's net worth?

An earlier version of this page gave two different figures, $157 million and $12 million, plus an income of $400,000 a year. None had a source, so all have been removed. The page also described him as someone who "works in education," which was wrong.

Senior executives of public companies disclose their pay and share sales in SEC filings, so parts of Eschenbach's earnings are public. But no reputable outlet has combined those filings, his Sequoia carried interest and his private investments into a net worth estimate. Carried interest is the share of fund profits partners receive.

Where the money comes from

• VMware (2002–2016). Fourteen years of executive pay and stock at a company that grew from about $30 million to $7 billion in revenue while he was there.
• Sequoia Capital (2016–2022, and again from 2026). Partner on Sequoia's growth team, sharing in fund profits. He led Sequoia's 2021 Series B investment in AI customer-service company Cresta.
• Workday (2022–2026). Co-CEO from December 2022, sole CEO from February 2024 until February 2026. CEO pay at Workday is mostly equity.
• Board seats. He has served on the boards of companies including Palo Alto Networks, Snowflake, Zoom, UiPath, Cohesity, Armis, Aurora and Workday, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

Eschenbach grew up in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania and was a standout wrestler at East Stroudsburg South High School. He graduated in 1985 as the school's best all-around male athlete, winning MVP awards in wrestling, baseball and football. He is in the school's athletic hall of fame. He later earned an electronics technical diploma from DeVry University. In 2021 the National Wrestling Hall of Fame named him an Outstanding American.

His 1985 graduation puts his birth around 1967. The old page's age of 54, height and weight had no source and have been removed. So has a vague paragraph about an unnamed wife.

Career timeline

VMware

At VMware he helped grow the company from about 200 to 20,000 employees. Workday's 2022 announcement of his appointment, filed with the SEC, lists his VMware roles as president, chief operating officer, acting chief financial officer and head of worldwide field operations. In a 2019 Sequoia Q&A, the firm said he joined in 2016 after 14 years at VMware.

Workday

Workday, the HR and finance software maker based in Pleasanton, California, brought him in as co-CEO in December 2022 after he had spent four years on its board. He kept a venture partner role at Sequoia. He became sole CEO in February 2024. During his tenure Workday cut about 1,750 jobs to shift spending toward AI. As software stocks fell on fears that AI would disrupt the sector, Workday shares lost 17% in 2025 and were down over 25% early in 2026, CNBC reported. On February 9, 2026, the company announced he was stepping down, effective immediately, with Bhusri returning as CEO. In his statement he pointed to greater operational discipline, global expansion and groundwork in AI.

Recent changes (2025–2026)

After leaving Workday, Eschenbach went back to Sequoia as a partner. In April 2026 AI company Cresta said he was rejoining its board, alongside new chairman Doug Leone, as Cresta passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue, according to its announcement. His move back to venture capital means more of his future wealth will depend on fund returns, not executive pay.

Net worth compared

Other executives profiled here include Carl Liebert and Carl Panattoni. Eschenbach's career of big-company executive jobs and top-tier venture capital would usually point to substantial wealth. Without a published estimate, though, we do not put a number on it.

Why no figure is given

A credible estimate would need his remaining Workday and VMware stock, what he earned from selling shares, his carried interest in Sequoia funds, and his board compensation. Only some of this is in SEC filings, and his Sequoia interests are private. We will add a figure if Forbes, Bloomberg or another reputable outlet publishes one.