Finance professionals hold "Save Our Sheets" rally defending Excel

Protest comes as data from Datarails reveals that "Excel is dead" social media posts have risen 200% in 2025

ATLANTA, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Finance professionals gathered today outside the Georgia World Congress Center to launch a "vigorous counter-campaign" against a rising narrative that Microsoft Excel is "dead".

The "Save Our Sheets" demonstration featured protesters wielding placards: "Get Your Hands off Our Sheets", "You Can Take my Excel from my Cold Dead Hands", and "Make Sheets Not War"– in defense of the 40-year-old spreadsheet software. The demonstration organized by Datarails, the FP&A solution for Excel users, saw dozens of finance professionals join the protest and more than 30 comments on social media in support of the rally.

Findings reveal 200% increase in "Excel is Dead" online Rhetoric

The protest comes as data reveals that "Excel is dead" claims have spiked from 13 instances in 2024 on major social media platforms, to 39 in 2025, analysing mentions on Reddit, X, YouTube, and Bluesky. One video proclaims that "Excel is dead" and is ready to be replaced by AI, while a post on X touts another AI Excel-killer that "creates charts, writes code, and automates workflows in seconds."

The reality is somewhat different: a recent study by Datarails found that in fact Excel is mentioned as a required skill in 42% of all positions in the US CFO's Office, based on 2000 open job vacancies in January 2025, rising to a high of 84% for FP&A listings.

The demonstrators acknowledge the scope of anti-Excel sentiment is relatively small, but they're determined to mount a vigorous defense against what they see as unfair characterization of the software as out-of-date.

Annette DeYoung, Principal Solutions Consultant at Datarails and a seasoned finance executive with over 20 years of experience, was one of the driving forces behind the protest.

"Excel has been an essential part of my professional journey—from detailed budgeting to high-stakes forecasting," said DeYoung. "It's not just a spreadsheet; it's a critical thinking tool that has empowered finance teams for decades. Dismissing it as outdated overlooks the precision, flexibility, and depth it brings to our work. This rally is a statement from finance professionals everywhere: we stand by the tools that have helped us drive clarity, strategy, and results."

About Datarails

Datarails is the AI-powered Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for Excel users. Keep your own Excel financial models and spreadsheets and benefit from AI for data consolidation, reporting and planning.

Contact: Jonathan Marciano VP Brand and Communications Datarails

[email protected] 

SOURCE Datarails