Applause, the global leader in managed software testing services and digital quality, today announced new executive leadership as the company continues to expand its AI evaluation capabilities alongside its market-leading managed testing services. Aatish Salvi, previously Chief Technology Officer, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Applause. Tacita Morway, previously Vice President of Engineering, has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer.
Aatish Salvi named CEO; Tacita Morway promoted to CTO at Applause.
Salvi joined as CTO in April 2026, previously led engineering and AI/ML organizations.
Morway joined in February 2026 as VP of Engineering.
Salvi succeeds Chris Malone after 13 years with company.
Applause combines AI, agentic automation, and global testing community.
Backed by Vista Equity Partners.
Aatish Salvi, Chief Executive Officer of Applause, stated: "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."
Salvi joined Applause as Chief Technology Officer in April 2026 after more than two decades leading engineering, AI/ML and enterprise software organizations. Since joining, he has helped accelerate Applause's technical roadmap, advancing its agentic evaluation capabilities and the technology supporting its managed testing services. As CEO, Salvi will spearhead the company's strategy, go-to-market execution and global operations. He succeeds Chris Malone, who is departing Applause after 13 years with the company.
Tacita Morway joined Applause in February 2026 as VP of Engineering, where she has led the expansion of the company's agentic testing capabilities. As CTO, Morway will head Applause's global engineering and product organizations while driving the company's long-term technology strategy. Morway stated: "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."
Nick Prickel of Vista Equity Partners, stated: "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."
About Applause
Applause is the global leader in managed software testing services and digital quality. Through AI, automation and the world's largest independent testing community, we help leading enterprises validate every aspect of their apps and other digital experiences. Our fully managed approach makes it easy for organizations to test under real-world conditions, across devices, locations and use cases – at the speed and scale required in the age of AI.
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