The news, initially reported by Bloomberg on Friday, had already sent Informatica's shares surging by over 17%, indicating market anticipation of the deal. Following Tuesday's official announcement, Salesforce's stock closed more than 1% higher, while Informatica's shares continued to climb, gaining 6%.
According to a release from Salesforce, Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock holders will receive $25 in cash per share.
Bolstering AI with Robust Data Management
The rationale behind the acquisition is clear: to empower Salesforce's AI initiatives with a more comprehensive understanding of data. Steve Fisher, Salesforce president and chief technology officer, highlighted this synergy in a statement: "Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data. The combination of Informatica’s advanced catalog and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this."
Salesforce, a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software, plans to integrate Informatica’s extensive suite of data services—including data catalog, integration, governance, privacy, and data management—with its own agentic AI solution, known as Agentforce. This integration is expected to create a more powerful and intelligent platform for businesses.
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, further elaborated on this vision, stating that the company intends to leverage Informatica alongside its existing Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau products. The goal is to "enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company."
Funding and Acquisition History
The acquisition will be funded through a combination of Salesforce's existing cash reserves and new debt.
This significant deal adds to a long line of strategic acquisitions made by Salesforce over the years as it continuously seeks to expand its product portfolio and capture greater market share. Notable past acquisitions include:
- Slack in 2021 for $27.7 billion
- Tableau in 2019 for $15.7 billion
- MuleSoft in 2018 for $6.5 billion
The acquisition of Informatica represents another bold move by Salesforce to solidify its position in the enterprise software landscape, particularly as AI capabilities become increasingly critical for business success.