Microsoft’s Excel, now 40 years old, remains one of the most widely used tools in business, but some tech leaders warn it may be hindering modern workflows and the adoption of AI. While its familiarity and versatility keep it in widespread use, experts say reliance on spreadsheets can create inefficiencies, security risks, and operational fragility.
Research by Acuity Training found that two-thirds of office workers use Excel at least once every hour. The software is deeply embedded in technology education alongside Word and PowerPoint, making it the default tool for many employees. Tom Wilkie, chief technology officer at data visualisation firm Grafana, described Excel as “a really good tool” for quick analysis, small datasets, or creating charts.
The problem, experts say, is that organisations often fail to distinguish between data processing and analysis. Professor Mark Whitehorn, emeritus professor of analytics at Dundee University, said many departments rely on macros—automated sequences of commands within spreadsheets—without proper documentation. “The person who wrote the macros has gone, and the people in the department don’t know how to run them,” he said.
This reliance can leave critical operations vulnerable. In New Zealand, Health NZ used Excel as its primary file for financial management, leading to errors and difficulties in data consolidation. In the UK, spreadsheet mismanagement contributed to chaos in anesthetist recruitment in 2023 and has been linked to international data scandals.
Efforts to shift away from Excel can be challenging. Moutie Wali, director of digital transformation at Canadian telecom Telus, has overseen moving hundreds of employees to a custom planning system. The goal was to integrate AI, improve automation, and standardise data. However, staff initially resisted abandoning their existing Excel setups. “I said absolutely not. You have to force it by not allowing the spreadsheet to coexist with your new applications,” he said.
Smaller organisations have also benefited from replacing spreadsheets. Kate Corden, who runs Hackney Bike Fit, moved from Excel to a case management tool to handle customer and bike data. “It’s just having a complete data management system where you’ve got everything, instead of multiple Excels,” she said. Julian Tanner, a PR executive and charity treasurer in London, switched the charity’s accounts from Excel to an online accounting platform with built-in AI, saving over £6,000 a year.
Microsoft defends Excel as “a versatile platform used by everyone,” noting that monthly usage has grown consistently over six years. Still, experts say moving away from Excel can unlock smoother workflows, better integration with AI, and reduced operational risk. Whitehorn emphasised that employees must recognise that corporate data belongs to the company, not individuals.
While eliminating Excel entirely may be unrealistic, businesses are increasingly exploring alternatives to reduce reliance on spreadsheets and improve data governance, workflow efficiency, and AI readiness.
