The Pulse
Databricks Acquires Row Zero to Add Spreadsheets to Genie
Databricks says its acquisition of Row Zero will bring a governed spreadsheet experience to Genie, connecting spreadsheet analysis with live data.
AI.info Team ·
“We built Row Zero because we love spreadsheets but recognized they needed to seamlessly connect to enterprise-scale data with governance and security at the core. Joining Databricks accelerates our vision of giving business users the spreadsheet they deserve: secure, connected, scalable, and deeply integrated with AI agents,”
Breck Fresen, founder and CEO of Row Zero
Databricks announced on September 24, 2026, that it had acquired Row Zero, a spreadsheet company whose product connects to live data. The deal brings Row Zero into Databricks’ Genie, the company’s AI coworker for business teams. Databricks says the integration will let users move from asking questions in Genie to exploring, modeling and collaborating in a spreadsheet interface.
The acquisition’s stated aim is to bring spreadsheet work into the same governed environment as the data behind it. Databricks did not disclose financial terms or a timetable for the integration.
Row Zero brings spreadsheets into Genie
Databricks plans to integrate Row Zero with Genie on the web and in desktop and mobile apps. The company says finance, operations, sales and marketing teams will be able to use the spreadsheet to explore data, model scenarios and collaborate, with Genie Ontology, Unity Catalog and Unity Gateway underpinning the governed environment.
Row Zero is designed to complement Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, with familiar formulas, pivot tables and keyboard shortcuts. Databricks says the product will remain available to its customers across major cloud platforms and continue supporting data sources beyond Databricks.
Live data replaces exported copies
Databricks frames the deal as a response to the governance risks of spreadsheet files copied and passed between teams. Each export can create another version of data whose freshness, origin and access controls are harder to track. The company argues that those risks grow when AI agents also analyze or act on business data.
Row Zero connects directly to data sources, Databricks says, and queries respect each user’s permissions. Data can refresh from live sources; administrators can restrict exports; users can write results back; and interactions are auditable. The company also says Row Zero’s processing engine supports work with billions of rows at interactive speeds.
A shift from chat to hands-on analysis
The acquisition extends Genie beyond answering questions or producing documents: Databricks says users will also be able to pivot, model and visualize data in a spreadsheet. That makes the product’s governance claims central to the deal, not just a feature alongside familiar spreadsheet controls. If the integration works as described, teams can work with data in a format they know while keeping access and activity tied to governed sources.
Row Zero was founded by former AWS and Tableau engineers, according to Databricks. Fresen said joining Databricks would help the company build a spreadsheet connected to enterprise-scale data and integrated with AI agents. Databricks has not specified when customers will receive the integrated spreadsheet experience.