C3 AI Reportedly Exploring Sale After Founder-CEO Thomas Siebel Steps Down

C3 AI, a California-based enterprise artificial intelligence software company, is reportedly exploring a potential sale following the recent departure of its founder and long-time CEO Thomas Siebel due to health concerns, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The process is said to be in its early stages, with C3 AI also considering other strategic options, including raising private capital, the sources told Reuters. The company, headquartered in Redwood City, provides a platform used by clients such as Shell and the U.S. Air Force to build and operate large-scale AI applications. Its software is widely used across energy, manufacturing, and government sectors, positioning it as a smaller competitor to Palantir Technologies.

C3 AI currently has a market value of around $2.15 billion, but its shares have dropped over 54% this year amid financial struggles and uncertainty surrounding leadership changes.

In its most recent quarterly report, the company disclosed a net loss of $116.8 million (or $0.86 per share) for the fiscal quarter ending July 31, alongside a 19% revenue drop to $70.3 million. C3 AI also withdrew its full-year forecast in September, citing management transitions and a restructuring of its sales and service operations.

The company’s leadership transition saw Salesforce veteran Stephen Ehikian assume the CEO role on September 1, succeeding Siebel, who has moved to the position of executive chairman after revealing an autoimmune disease causing severe visual impairment.

Siebel, a renowned Silicon Valley entrepreneur, is best known for founding Siebel Systems, which he sold to Oracle in 2005 for $5.85 billion.

C3 AI’s board includes several prominent figures, such as former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Fortune CEO Alan Murray, and former Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell.