Salesforce to acquire Informatica in $8B deal
Informatica's acquisition will strengthen Salesforce's data infrastructure to support the development and deployment of agentic AI across enterprises.
SaaS major Salesforce said it will acquire cloud data management company Informatica in an all-equity deal valued at $8 billion, as the enterprise software giant deepens its push into artificial intelligence.
The company stated the acquisition will strengthen its data infrastructure to support the development and deployment of agentic AI across enterprises.
“Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce.
He added, “By uniting the power of Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau with Informatica’s industry-leading, advanced data management capabilities, we will enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company, and significantly strengthen our position in the $150 billion-plus enterprise data market.”
The deal will be financed through a mix of cash and new debt, the company said on Wednesday.
Under the terms of the agreement, Salesforce will pay $25 in cash per share for Informatica’s Class A and Class B-1 common stock, net of its existing investment in the company.
Salesforce had previously paused acquisition talks with Informatica last year after the two companies couldn’t agree on deal terms, reported Reuters.
The report noted that discussions resumed in early April, when multiple potential buyers, including private equity firms and other companies, expressed interest in Informatica around the same time.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Salesforce—once known for its aggressive acquisitions—became more cautious about making deals after 2023 as it came under pressure from activist investors such as Elliott Investment Management, Starboard Value, and ValueAct Capital.
The deal adds to Salesforce’s history of major buys to strengthen its enterprise cloud and AI capabilities. It previously acquired Slack in 2021 for $27.7 billion to enhance workplace collaboration, Tableau in 2019 for $15.7 billion, and MuleSoft in 2018 for $6.5 billion.
The integration of Informatica’s capabilities, including data integration, governance, privacy, and metadata management, will strengthen Salesforce’s agent-based AI platform, Agentforce.
“Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey to bring data and AI to life by empowering businesses with the transformative power of their most critical asset — their data. We have a shared vision for how we can help organisations harness the full value of their data in the AI era,” said Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica.
Edited by Suman Singh