Applause names Salvi chief executive as AI push grows

Applause has appointed Aatish Salvi as Chief Executive Officer and promoted Tacita Morway to Chief Technology Officer as the software testing company expands its AI evaluation work.

Salvi succeeds Chris Malone, who is leaving after 13 years with the business, including nearly five as Chief Executive Officer. Morway was previously Vice President of Engineering, a role she took on earlier this year.

The changes put two recently appointed technology executives at the top of a company seeking to expand its AI testing work alongside its established managed software testing business. The focus is on assessing software that uses AI agents and testing how those systems perform in real-world conditions.

Salvi joined Applause as Chief Technology Officer in April after more than two decades in engineering, AI and enterprise software roles. As Chief Executive Officer, he will oversee strategy, commercial execution and global operations.

Morway joined in February and has led the expansion of the company's agentic testing work. As Chief Technology Officer, she will lead global engineering and product teams and set long-term technology direction.

The moves reflect a broader shift in the software sector as companies adapt testing processes for products that rely on generative AI and autonomous software agents. These systems can behave unpredictably outside development and training conditions, creating demand for more extensive validation before release.

Applause built its business around managed testing services and a global community of testers, and is positioning that model for AI-based software. The company argues that software makers need both automation and human assessment to evaluate how AI tools behave when customers use them in practice.

Salvi set out that view in his first remarks after taking the top job.

"Enterprises are shipping AI-driven products faster than their testing strategies can keep up with. AI is fundamentally changing how software is built, but it hasn't changed the standard for quality. The modern approach to quality has to include AI agents and humans. That's the work Applause has been investing in for years, combining AI, agentic automation and the expertise of real people to help clients evaluate AI under real-world conditions. I'm excited to build on that foundation as we help enterprises innovate faster with the confidence to deploy AI at scale," said Aatish Salvi, Chief Executive Officer, Applause.

The appointment marks a handover from Malone, who led the company through a period of growth in its enterprise customer base and a partnership with Vista Equity Partners. He also helped strengthen Applause's position in crowdtesting services during his tenure.

Nick Prickel of Vista Equity Partners backed Salvi to lead the next stage of the business.

"Applause has established a differentiated position helping enterprises deliver high-quality digital experiences under real-world conditions. Aatish's technical vision and leadership make him the right person to guide the company through its next phase as AI reshapes software development," said Nick Prickel, Vista Equity Partners.

Technology focus

Morway's promotion suggests Applause wants continuity between its engineering work and its commercial push into AI evaluation. Her remit covers both product and engineering at a time when the company is trying to define how much of the testing process can be automated and where human testers remain necessary.

Salvi described Morway as a key partner in that effort.

"Tacita is an exceptional technology leader who combines deep engineering expertise with a clear vision of where AI is taking our industry. She has already transformed how we build and deliver our platform, and I'm excited to partner with her as we lead Applause into its next chapter," said Salvi.

Morway framed the challenge in terms of how AI systems perform once they leave controlled environments and meet real users.

"AI systems fail in the gap between what they were trained on and what actually happens when real people use them. My team's job is to close that gap. We're building technology that determines what to automate, where our global community of testers is needed, and how to orchestrate both so customers can ship faster with confidence," said Morway.