Quick catchup: Ajai Gopal to join Procore, Desktop Metal finds a home, CAE partners merge, more AI

A lot is going on (is there ever not?), so here are a few bits and pieces you might find interesting:

I don’t usually write about executive transitions, but this one is noteworthy: Former Ansys CEO Ajai Gopal has been appointed CEO Designate of Procore, the construction management platform maker. Mr. Gopal, who is expected to start his new position on 10 November, said, “Procore’s…  platform and culture have cemented its status as the clear category leader, revolutionizing one of the world’s most essential yet least digitized industries.”

Mr. Gopal will succeed Procore founder Tooey Courtemanche, who will “transition out of operational responsibilities and focus on his role as Chair of the Board of Directors.” As I understand it, Mr. Gopal remains on the board of directors of Synopsys. 

Why Procore, why now? Well, for starters, Mr. Gopal likely enjoys being a CEO, is good at it, and can drive efficient growth and innovation at Procore, as he did at Ansys. I’m not sure if you remember, but under his tenure, Ansys’ revenue tripled, driven by both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. And it’s likely that Procore values Mr. Gopal’s experience selling Ansys to Synopsys for billions and billions. Read Procore’s announcement here: https://investors.procore.com/news/news-details/2025/Procore-Announces-Appointment-of-Ajei-Gopal-as-Chief-Executive-Officer/default.aspx .

Desktop Metal has found a new home. You might remember that Desktop Metal filed for bankruptcy over the summer. Last week, Desktop Metal and Arc Public Benefit Corporation announced that Arc has acquired DM’s intellectual property for binder jet platforms, including the Production System and X-Series, as well as Adaptive3D’s elastomer and resin materials, such as FreeFoam and DuraChain, AI-based materials discovery tools, digital twins, and simulation software. Read more here, https://www.arc-pbc.com/post/why-we-acquired-desktop-metal .

Consolidation continues, this time in CAE services. Ozen Engineering and SimuTech Group, two Ansys partners, are merging in, as Katie Lally, owner of SimuTech, put it, “a deliberate and strategic step forward. We’re building not just a bigger company, but a better one—with deeper expertise, expanded capacity, and a stronger commitment to solving our customers’ most complex engineering challenges.” For now, the companies will continue as they are, preparing to operate under the SimTech brand in 2026. No details were given. More here https://www.arc-pbc.com/post/why-we-acquired-desktop-metal .

And, of course, another study on the impact of AI. Another report, this one from the Boston Consulting Group (here: https://media-publications.bcg.com/The-GenAI-Transformation-of-the-Communications-Function.pdf). Again, the focus is on corporate functions; the study doesn’t even mention engineering and design. BCG found that 80% of HR/finance/legal/marketing tasks could be augmented by AI, leading to potential cost savings of 14% to 18%.  According to the report, AI across corporate affairs functions could create productivity gains of 34% to 47% and cost reductions of 20% to 28% within three to five years. Interestingly, the study authors in one news article about the study said they don’t see humans being replaced by AI — rather that humans will be made more efficient. The implication is that we will do more with the same number of people and not the same amount with fewer humans.

Never a dull moment.