Salesforce Acquires Informatica for $8 Billion, Boosting AI and Data Management Capabilities

Salesforce acquires Informatica for $8 billion | TechCrunch

Salesforce has acquired cloud data management firm Informatica in an $8 billion equity deal, marking a major move in its push to strengthen its AI and data infrastructure capabilities. The announcement, made Tuesday, comes about a year after early rumors of the acquisition sent both companies' stock prices sliding. At the time, Informatica denied it was for sale, but a lot can change in a year. Under the terms of the deal, Salesforce will pay $25 in cash per share for Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock, adjusting for its prior investment in the company. Informatica was founded in 1993 and works with more than 5,000 customers across more than 100 countries. The company had a $7.1 billion market cap at the time of publication. This acquisition will help bolster Salesforce's agentic AI ambitions, the company's press release stated, by giving the company more data infrastructure and governance to help its AI agents run more "safely, responsibly, and at scale across the modern enterprise." "Together, we'll supercharge Agentforce, Data Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Customer 360, enabling autonomous agents to act with intelligence, context, and confidence across every enterprise," Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in the press release. "This is a transformational step in delivering enterprise-grade AI that is safe, responsible, and deeply integrated with the world's data." The path to this deal began in April 2024, when reports surfaced that Salesforce was eyeing Informatica. The market reaction was swift -- both companies' shares dipped on fears of a difficult integration or strategic mismatch. Informatica later issued a public statement denying any sale discussions. But what once seemed unlikely is now official. Informatica isn't the first data management company Salesforce has acquired in the past year. In September, Salesforce snapped up Own Company for $1.9 billion in cash. "Data security has never been more critical, and Own's proven expertise and products will enhance our ability to offer robust data protection and management solutions to our customers," Salesforce general manager Steve Fisher said in a press release at the time. TechCrunch has reached out to Salesforce for more information.

Salesforce takeover of Informatica is on for $8 billion

Salesforce is to buy Informatica, the enterprise data management and analytics biz, for around $8 billion. The CRM giant said today [PDF] it has entered into an agreement to acquire Informatica -- founded in 1993 -- to boost its portfolio around data management and governance with the aim of "deploying powerful and responsible agentic AI." The main interest lies in the combination of Informatica's data catalog, data integration, governance, quality and privacy, metadata management, and Master Data Management (MDM) services with the Salesforce platform intending to establish a "unified architecture for agentic AI." In September of last year, Salesforce bought Own Company, a SaaS data protection and data management company, for $1.9 billion in cash. The decision to take on another purchase comes 18 months after activist investor Elliott Management took a multibillion-dollar stake in Salesforce, seemingly disappointed in growth, margins, and a failure to elicit value from a string of expensive mergers. Salesforce famously bought office collaboration platform Slack for $27 billion in 2021. Other mergers included Tableau, the data visualization and analytics system, for $15.7 billion in 2019; as well as the API farmer MuleSoft, which Salesforce spent to $6.5 billion to take over in 2018. In a prepared statement, Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO, said: "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." Salesforce said it bought Informatica for its integration, catalog, and lineage tools as well as its background in metadata management. "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," said Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." The Informatica deal brings Salesforce's acquisition spree to around $60 billion over the last 10 years. However, critics have claimed that the SaaS company has not always made the most of these mergers or created the benefits it promised. In January 2023, Salesforce said it would cut about 7,000 jobs "to reduce operating costs, improve operating margins, and continue advancing the Company's ongoing commitment to profitable growth." At the time, Benioff said the company had hired too many people during the pandemic. ®

Salesforce is buying Informatica in deal worth approximately $8 billion

Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal. Informatica's shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday's closing price of $22.55. The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica's data management capabilities. Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027. Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market open, while Informatica's stock jumped 5.7%.

Salesforce to acquire data management company Informatica in $8 billion deal

Salesforce announced Tuesday that it's buying cloud data management firm Informatica in an $8 billion deal to bolster the enterprise software giant's push into artificial intelligence. Shares of Salesforce were up about 1% in U.S. premarket trading. Informatica shares climbed about 6%. "Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data," said Steve Fisher, Salesforce president and chief technology officer, in a release. "The combination of Informatica's advanced catalog and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this." Salesforce, which specializes in customer relationship management software, said that it would look to combine Informatica's data catalog, integration, governance, privacy and data management services with its agentic AI solution, dubbed Agentforce. The deal will be funded through a combination of cash on Salesforce's balance sheet and new debt, the company said.

What Salesforce's $8B acquisition of Informatica means for enterprise data and AI

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Salesforce is making a big bid to become a much larger player in the enterprise space, announcing today an $8B acquisition of Informatica. The move will bring together two large, established enterprise software providers with decades of real-world experience. Informatica was founded in 1993 as an enterprise data-focused vendor and an early pioneer in the ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) market. As technology cycles have changed over the last 25 years, so too has Informatica, moving to cloud and SaaS and more recently embracing generative AI. Just last week, at the company's Informatica World, it announced a series of new agentic AI offerings designed to help improve enterprise data management and operations. By acquiring Informatica, Salesforce aims to enhance its trusted data foundation for deploying agentic AI. The combination will create a unified architecture enabling AI agents to operate safely, responsibly and at scale across enterprises by integrating: "I'm excited to begin this new journey with Salesforce where the combination of Informatica's rich data catalog, data integration, governance, quality and privacy, metadata management and Master Data Management (MDM) services with the Salesforce platform upon close of the transaction will establish a unified architecture for agentic AI - enabling AI agents to operate safely, responsibly and at scale, across the modern enterprise," Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica wrote in LinkedIn post. What another big deal means for Salesforce and its enterprise customers Salesforce has been no stranger to large acquisitions. In 2021, Salesforce acquired Slack Technologies for a staggering $28 billion. In 2019, Salesforce acquired data analytics platform Tableau for $16 billion. A year earlier, in 2018, Salesforce acquired MuleSoft, bolstering its enterprise software integration capabilities. All of those acquisitions have worked out well for Salesforce, with Tableau, Slack and Mulesoft growing and expanding. According to Forrester Analyst Noel Yuhanna, Salesforce's acquisition of Informatica fills a gap in its data management capabilities. "The acquisition markedly elevates Salesforce's position across all critical dimensions of modern data management, including data integration, ingestion, pipelines, master data management (MDM), metadata management, transformation, preparation, quality and governance in the cloud," Yuhanna told VentureBeat. "These capabilities are no longer optional -- they are foundational for building an AI-ready enterprise, especially as the industry accelerates toward agentic AI." To fully realize AI's promise, Yuhanna said that vendor solutions must tightly integrate data and AI as two sides of the same coin. In his view, this acquisition strengthens Salesforce's ability to do just that, laying the groundwork for next-generation data that can power intelligent, autonomous and personalized experiences at scale to support AI use cases. "Crucially, this positions Salesforce to deliver a unified customer data fabric, enabling a truly end-to-end platform for data, AI and analytics, tailored to customer-centric use cases," Yuhanna said. "Real-time data integration across diverse sources is becoming critical for advanced customer engagement, and this move brings Salesforce much closer to that vision." Salesforce Informatica deal is (mostly) about agentic AI While data has long been the foundation of Informatica's technology, its intersection with agentic AI makes it attractive to Salesforce. Hyoun Park, CEO and Chief Analyst at Amalgam Insights, told VentureBeat that the Informatica acquisition has been rumored for over a year, with a credible expectation last year of an $11 billion bid. "From a practical perspective, the rush towards agentic AI requires any credible player in the space to manage data, workflows, integration and models as well as the agents and to be a strong IT partner," Park said. "The Informatica acquisition goes hand-in-hand with Salesforce's efforts towards improving IT management capabilities and going head to head against ServiceNow and IT specialists such as Boomi in the agent space." Park noted that there is some overlap with the MuleSoft capabilities Salesforce already has in its portfolio. That said, he emphasized that Informatica's capabilities in data management, including master data management, data catalog and data security, are both more updated and more comprehensive. The data components that make enterprise agentic AI real Data isn't just about storing bits of content. When it comes to agentic AI it's a whole lot more complex. "A successful agent strategy depends on the integration of three domains: models, applications and data," Kevin Petrie, vice president of research at BARC told VentureBeat. "Salesforce gains significant strength in the data realm, especially metadata and cataloging, through this acquisition." Petrie noted that Salesforce is already invested in the application realm through its CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Mulesoft offerings. Those capabilities are already being integrated into Salesforce's agentic AI workflows, focusing on customer-related data. "However, Informatica provides extensive value in the data management realm outside agentic workflows and customer related data," Petrie said. "To realize the full value of this acquisition, I believe Salesforce will need to give the Informatica unit sufficient autonomy to continue to provide and extend its broad data management capabilities to its existing customers." What it all means for enterprise users So, what does the acquisition mean for both Salesforce and Informatica enterprise customers? Forrester's Yuhanna sees the acquisition as a major advancement for Salesforce customers. He noted that Salesforce customers will be able to seamlessly access and leverage all types of customer data, whether housed within Salesforce or external systems, all in real time. It represents a unified customer data fabric that can deliver actionable insights across every channel and touchpoint. "Critically, it accelerates Salesforce's ability to deploy agentic AI, enabling low-code, low-maintenance AI solutions that reduce complexity and dramatically shorten time to value," Yuhanna said. "With a fully integrated data management foundation, Salesforce customers can expect faster, more innovative, and more personalized customer experiences at scale." The opportunity is equally appealing for Informatica customers. In Yuhanna's view, this acquisition unlocks a faster path to agentic AI workloads, backed by the reach and power of the Salesforce ecosystem. As data management evolves, intelligent agents will automate core functions, turning traditionally time-consuming processes like data ingestion, integration, and pipeline orchestration into self-operating data workflows. Tasks that once took days or weeks will be executed with zero to little human intervention. "With a unified data, AI, and analytics platform, Informatica customers will benefit from accelerated innovation, greater operational agility, and significantly enhanced returns on their data investments," he said.

Salesforce is acquiring Informatica for $8 billion

Salesforce said Tuesday it will acquire the cloud data management company Informatica for $8 billion in equity value as it seeks to further compete in the global artificial intelligence race. The San Francisco-based company said in a press release thatthe acquisition will strengthen its "trusted data foundation critical for deploying powerful and responsible agentic AI" and enable its AI agents "to operate safely, responsibly, and at scale across the modern enterprise." "Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce, said. "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." Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, said his company and Salesforce "have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." The companies had been in talks for an acquisition last year, but the negotiations fell through. Informatica, which boats clients like Dolby, Citizens, and Subaru, uses AI to help users automate tasks. The acquisition comes as Salesforce tries to expand Agentforce technology, its autonomous AI agents that support enterprise functions. Recent feature updates have included integration into its messaging network Slack, enhanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, and more accuracy.

Salesforce to acquire Informatica at $8B valuation - SiliconANGLE

The acquisition price includes Salesforce's existing stake in Informatica. The latter company's investors are set to receive $25 per share. According to Salesforce, stockholders with 63% of the voting power in Informatica have committed to approving the deal. Word of the acquisition first emerged last April. At the time, sources told the Wall Street Journal that Salesforce had offered to buy Informatica for about $10 billion. The cloud giant reportedly shelved the offer shortly thereafter, but restarted acquisition discussions earlier this year. "The price is way better than the original $10B SF was willing to pay," commented Dave Vellante, chief analyst at theCUBE Research. "And Informatica did a good job when they went private in improving its margin profile - so SF will be able to make this acquisition accretive in the near future." Informatica sells one of the industry's most popular ETL, or extract, transform, load, platforms. Companies use the software to move data between applications. One of the tasks that the platform can ease is the process of loading records from third-party systems into Salesforce. "Salesforce and Informatica have had a well-established partnership that enables their joint customers to synchronize data across various applications seamlessly," commented SiliconANGLE founder and co-CEO John Furrier. "The collaboration, now acquisition, helps in integrating Salesforce with third-party applications using Informatica's robust data management platform." Informatica provides its core ETL feature set alongside other capabilities. Companies can use the company's platform to find quality issues in their datasets, delete unnecessary file copies and perform related tasks. Informatica says that its installed base includes more than 5,000 organizations worldwide. Salesforce will use the company's technology to enhance its Agentforce platform. Introduced last year, Agentforce provides artificial intelligence agents that can automate tasks such as answering customer support inquires. It also includes a tool that allows organizations to build their own custom AI agents. According to Salesforce, Informatica's ability to retrieve data from external systems will help Agentforce AI agents find the information they require to answer user questions. The company also sees other benefits. Informatica's platform collects metadata about the records that it processes including where those records were originally stored, how they changed and how they're used. This metadata can help AI agents more accurately interpret the information they process. Salesforce will also integrate Informatica's technology with its Data Cloud. Similarly to ETL tools, the latter platform enables applications to access data stored in external systems. The difference is that Data Cloud processes information with a method known as zero copy. According to Salesforce, this approach removes the need to create a copy of records before sharing them between applications, which is a requirement in standard ETL workflows. "The purchase of Informatica by Salesforce not only expands its Data Cloud capabilities and provides another revenue source but also helps it move outside its walled garden," said theCUBE Research managing director and principal analyst Rob Strechay. "This is probably the most significant data platform enhancing acquisition of the year, giving Salesforce, with prior acquisition Mulesoft, a significant capability to map, use, gather, and when needed, move data and metadata that will be so critical to AI Agent building." Salesforce plans to finance the acquisition with a combination of cash on hand and new debt. The deal is expected to close early in the company's 2027 fiscal year, which will start next February. "It makes financial sense for Salesforce shareholders as Salesforce trades at circa 50% premium to Informatica at all key metrics, EV/revenues, EV/EBITDA and EV/free-cashflow," said Martin Balaam, the CEO of product information management company Pimberly Software Development Ltd. "With Salesforce's revenue being 20x that of Informatica you would expect this deal to be accretive to shareholders from the get-go."

Salesforce banks on AI in $8 billion merger with cloud platform Informatica

Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal. Informatica's shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday's closing price of $22.55. The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica's data management capabilities. Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027. Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market open, while Informatica's stock jumped 5.7%.

Salesforce to Acquire Informatica for $8 Billion to Strengthen AI Data Capabilities | AIM

The acquisition is expected to bolster Salesforce's data infrastructure, particularly in support of its AI agent platform, Agentforce. Salesforce, the US-based SaaS giant, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire cloud data management company Informatica, in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion in equity. This excludes Salesforce's existing investment in the firm. Under the agreement, Informatica shareholders will receive $25 in cash per share. The acquisition is expected to bolster Salesforce's data infrastructure, particularly in support of its AI agent platform, Agentforce. The company aims to integrate Informatica's metadata management, Master Data Management (MDM), and data governance technologies into its core services, including Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau. This acquisition follows Salesforce's previous major deals, including the $6.5 billion purchase of MuleSoft in 2018, the $15.7 billion acquisition of Tableau in 2019, and the $27 billion acquisition of Slack in 2021. "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 that the move would help them compete in the $150 billion-plus enterprise data market. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close by FY27, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. The company announced that stockholders representing about 63% of Informatica's voting power have already approved the deal through written consent. Salesforce plans to fund the acquisition with a mix of cash and new debt. It anticipates the deal will begin contributing to non-GAAP operating margin, earnings per share, and free cash flow in the second year (post the deal), driven by expected cost savings and expanded data capabilities. "Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data," said Steve Fisher, President and CTO of Salesforce. "The combination of Informatica's advanced catalogue and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this." Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, called the acquisition "a significant leap forward" in unlocking the value of enterprise data in the AI era. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organisations harness the full value of their data." The integration will support Salesforce's strategy across industries such as public sector, healthcare, life sciences, and financial services. Robin Washington, Salesforce's president and CFO, said the acquisition reflects the company's "methodical, patient, and decisive" approach to M&A and aims to accelerate market differentiation. The SaaS giant also plans to invest in Informatica's partner ecosystem and leverage its marketing and distribution resources to expand Informatica's cloud footprint.

Salesforce is buying Informatica in deal worth approximately $8 billion

Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal. Informatica's shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday's closing price of $22.55. The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica's data management capabilities. Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027. Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market open, while Informatica's stock jumped 5.7%.

Salesforce is buying Informatica in deal worth approximately $8 billion

Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal. Informatica's shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday's closing price of $22.55. The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica's data management capabilities. Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027. Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market open, while Informatica's stock jumped 5.7%.

Salesforce Is Buying Informatica in Deal Worth About $8 Billion

Informatica was taken private in 2015 by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for about $5.3 billion. It went public again in 2021. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027.

Salesforce Is Buying Informatica in Deal Worth Approximately $8 Billion

Salesforce is buying AI-powered cloud data management company Informatica in an approximately $8 billion deal. Informatica's shareholders will receive $25 per share, a premium of about 11% from Friday's closing price of $22.55. The transaction will give Salesforce access to Informatica's data management capabilities. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer at Salesforce, said in a statement that the acquisition will look to take advantage of Informatica's capabilities quickly, particularly in areas such as the public sector, life sciences, health care, and financial services. San Francisco-based Salesforce is set to report its quarterly financial results Wednesday after the bell. Both companies' boards have approved the deal, which is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal 2027. Shares of Salesforce rose slightly before the market open, while Informatica's stock jumped 6%. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Salesforce Buys Informatica for About $8B After Failed Attempt Last Year

Informatica (INFA) shares gained as the artificial intelligence (AI)-based data management software provider finally agreed to be purchased by Salesforce (CRM) after long negotiations between the tech firms. The deal has Salesforce paying $8.0 billion for the shares of Informatica it doesn't already own. Informatica investors will receive $25 in cash for every share they own, a 30% premium to the closing price Thursday, the day before Bloomberg reported talks were back on after the companies failed to reach an agreement last year. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said the combination "will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry." Chief Technology Officer Steve Fisher added that "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." The transaction "is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal year 2027," it said. Despite today's 5% rise, shares of Informatica are about 8% lower year-to-date. Salesforce shares made a small advance Tuesday but are down about 17% in 2025.

Another AI deal: Salesforce buys Informatica for $8 billion, this move by Marc Benioff could rattle Microsoft, Amazon

Salesforce Informatica acquisition is making waves as Salesforce confirms an $8 billion deal to buy data software giant Informatica. The move is set to supercharge Salesforce's AI capabilities by merging Informatica's powerful data management tools with Salesforce's Data Cloud, Tableau, and MuleSoft. Announced at $25 per share, this surprise lower offer comes as part of Salesforce's plan to strengthen its agentic AI ecosystem. With the focus now on autonomous AI agents and smarter digital tools, this acquisition could reshape how enterprise AI evolves. Here's why this deal matters and what it means for the future of AI at Salesforce.Salesforce has officially announced its plans to acquire Informatica in a massive $8 billion deal, aiming to sharpen its focus on artificial intelligence. This move, confirmed on Tuesday, is being widely seen as a strategic step to boost Salesforce's AI-driven data capabilities, especially as enterprise demand for smarter data tools continues to grow. The deal values Informatica at $25 per share, significantly lower than earlier expectations. Back in April 2024, market chatter suggested a potential offer in the mid-$30s, and Informatica stock had even climbed close to $40 per share. Despite the lower offer, the market responded positively, with Informatica shares rising over 5% to $23.83 premarket after the announcement. On Friday, shares had already jumped 17% amid renewed acquisition rumors. Salesforce shares also inched up 1% to $275.44, signaling investor optimism about what this move could mean for its future AI roadmap. Revenue Impact: Salesforce is doubling down on its data strategy with this acquisition. Informatica is well-known for its data management software, which helps companies collect, cleanse, and classify large volumes of data from multiple sources. This kind of capability is critical when building AI tools that rely on accurate and well-structured data. In a report, Terry Tillman, an analyst at Truist Securities, said the acquisition would help Salesforce "enhance its data foundation and build a unified architecture for agentic AI." Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff added that integrating Informatica will help the company create "the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry." Salesforce plans to blend Informatica's platform with its existing products like Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau. This integration is expected to give Salesforce a stronger foundation for launching agentic AI tools. Agentic AI, as opposed to traditional "copilot" tools, focuses on autonomous, goal-driven AI agents that don't just assist users -- they carry out complex tasks on their own. Salesforce already introduced Agentforce in September 2024 and followed it up with Agentforce 2.0 and its Digital Labor Platform in December. By incorporating Informatica's data tools, Salesforce aims to power these agents with cleaner, smarter data, increasing their efficiency and making the tools more useful for enterprise customers. The financial terms of the deal include a mix of cash and new debt, with Salesforce expecting to close the acquisition in early fiscal 2026, which starts in February 2025. While Informatica shareholders won't get the premium once speculated earlier this year, the agreement still represents a strong endorsement of Informatica's long-term value. As of Friday, Salesforce stock had dropped 17% in 2025, while Informatica was down 11%. The acquisition news appears to have reversed that trend for now, giving both stocks a short-term bump. Most analysts believe the deal will go through regulatory checks without much resistance. Since both Salesforce and Informatica already have a marketing partnership, and Informatica's services are already available to Salesforce customers, the companies have a history of collaboration. Plus, unlike some tech deals that raise concerns about market consolidation, this merger is seen as complementary rather than competitive. That's likely to help with smooth approval from regulators. According to industry analysts, Salesforce could see a 1% revenue lift from AI-driven products in fiscal 2026. That might seem small, but with Salesforce already projected to grow its overall revenue by 8%, every point counts in a maturing enterprise software market. By combining Informatica's data management strength with its own AI products, Salesforce is positioning itself to ride the AI wave more effectively. The acquisition isn't just about more tools -- it's about creating a more unified platform that works seamlessly for customers across industries. This move signals Salesforce's intent to lead the next wave of enterprise AI tools. By shifting from basic chatbot "copilots" to intelligent, action-taking "agents," the company is trying to move ahead of rivals in the AI software race. With its first-quarter earnings due Wednesday, all eyes will be on whether Salesforce's broader AI vision -- now bolstered by the Informatica deal -- can start translating into real financial gains. As the demand for smarter, automated tools grows, especially in large enterprises, Salesforce is betting big on data being the backbone of that future -- and Informatica may just be the missing piece. Q1. What is the Salesforce Informatica acquisition deal worth? The Salesforce Informatica acquisition is valued at $8 billion. Q2. How will Informatica help Salesforce's AI strategy? Informatica will boost Salesforce's data foundation to power advanced AI agents.

Salesforce, Citrix Parent Jockey For Informatica: Report

A Salesforce deal is close enough that it could be announced as soon as next week, according to a report. Salesforce reportedly has its eyes set on Informatica yet again after an $11 billion deal proposal fell apart last year, but this time, the enterprise applications vendor may face competition from Citrix's parent company. San Francisco-based Salesforce and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Citrix parent Cloud Software Group (CSG) have shown interest in the data management and integration tools provider, but a Salesforce deal, if reached, could be announced as soon as next week, according to a Bloomberg report Friday citing anonymous sources. Informatica has a market capitalization of about $6.8 billion. Salesforce reports quarterly earnings Wednesday. [RELATED: Informatica Launches AI Agent Engineering Service To Prevent Agentic AI 'Fragmentation'] CRN has reached out to Salesforce, CSG, and Redwood City, Calif.-based Informatica. In August, Salesforce reportedly backed away from its pursuit of data management software vendor Informatica for roughly $11 billion. The two sides couldn't agree on the terms of the deal, and talks came to a close, according to multiple news outlets at the time. This month, Salesforce revealed that it plans to buy London-based AI agent startup Convergence.ai to boost capabilities in its AI agent platform Agentforce. The vendor's channel chief revealed to CRN that efforts to grow Salesforce's partner ecosystem have resulted in reaching about 16,000 partners, 9,000 of them in consulting -- more than 30 percent growth in total partners and around 50 percent growth in consulting partners compared with last summer. In January, Citrix purchased the Germany-based Unicon, the provider of a lean operating system and management tool for virtual desktop endpoints. In April, Buyouts reported that CSG private equity owner Vista Equity Partners raised about $4 billion in a first close to a fund for the company. CSG is said to have a $30 billion "enterprise value," according to the news outlet. Salesforce's stock traded at about $274 a share Friday after market close, falling about 2 percent after the Bloomberg report. Informatica's stock rose about 13 percent after the report, trading at about $23 a share after market close. Informatica reported its latest quarterly earnings earlier this month. It saw cloud subscription annualized recurring revenue (ARR) increase to $848 million, 30 percent year-over-year growth, for the quarter ended March 31. Total ARR increased to $1.7 billion, representing 4.1 percent year-over-year growth. Total revenues increased to $403.9 million, 5.6 percent year-over-year growth ignoring foreign exchange.

Salesforce CEO Says $8B Informatica Buy Will Create 'Most Complete' AI Data Platform In The Industry

"Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Salesforce is acquiring cloud data management star Informatica for $8 billion in a move to create the top AI data platform company in the world with a focus on agentic AI, says Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. "Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," said Benioff (pictured) in a statement today. "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," Benioff said. Upon close of the acquisition, Salesforce plans to rapidly integrate Informatica's technology stack -- including data integration, data quality, data governance, and unified metadata for Agentforce, and a single data pipeline with Master Data Management (MDM) on Data Cloud. [Related: Salesforce Q1 2026 Earnings Preview: 5 Things To Know] The acquisition aims to enhance Salesforce's data foundation for deploying powerful and responsible agentic AI. The combination of Informatica's data catalog, data integration, data governance and privacy, data quality, metadata management, and MDM services with the Salesforce platform will create a unified architecture for agentic AI, the company said. The deal is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, which begins Feb. 1, 2027. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Salesforce and Informatica. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 in cash per share. Salesforce will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Informatica that it does not already own. If the deal closes, it would mark Salesforce's biggest purchase since its roughly $28 billion acquisition of Slack Technologies in 2021. Informatica CEO Amit Walia said today's merger announcement marks the next and "powerful' chapter for his company. "We are committed to continuing our strategy of building best-in-class, AI-powered data management products -- delivering a complete, end-to-end platform with industry-leading, integrated solutions to connect, manage and unify data across any cloud, hybrid or multi-cloud environment," Walia said on LinkedIn today. Salesforce plans to merge Informatica's metadata with Salesforce's unified data model, to empower AI agents to interpret, connect, and act on enterprise data with meaningful context. Salesforce said Informatica will strengthen its Data Cloud's leadership as a Customer Data Platform (CDP), ensuring data from across the organization is not just unified but clear, trusted, and actionable. The two combined companies will also provide a critical foundation for autonomous AI agents to interpret and act on complex enterprise data, aiming to build a system of intelligence on a trusted system of understanding. "I look forward to collaborating with the Salesforce team and building on our momentum once the acquisition closes," Walia said. "Thank you to our customers and partners for your unwavering support." In August, Salesforce reportedly backed away from its pursuit of data management software vendor Informatica for roughly $11 billion. The two sides couldn't agree on the terms of the deal, and talks came to a close, according to multiple news outlets at the time. This month, Salesforce revealed that it plans to buy London-based AI agent startup Convergence.ai to boost capabilities in its AI agent platform Agentforce. The vendor's channel chief revealed to CRN this year that efforts to grow Salesforce's partner ecosystem have resulted in reaching about 16,000 partners, 9,000 of them in consulting -- more than 30 percent growth in total partners and around 50 percent growth in consulting partners compared with last summer.

Salesforce Strikes $8 Billion Acquisition To Boost AI And Data Cloud Power - Informatica (NYSE:INFA), Salesforce (NYSE:CRM)

Informatica Inc. INFA stock surged on Monday amid reports that Salesforce Inc. CRM is weighing the acquisition of the software company after a prior deal failed to fructify in 2024. On Tuesday, Salesforce officially agreed to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion in equity value, net of Salesforce's current investment in Informatica. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 in cash per share. Also Read: Salesforce's Agentforce AI, Data Cloud Strengthen Long-Term Growth Potential: Analyst Upon close, Salesforce plans to rapidly integrate Informatica's technology stack including data integration, quality, governance, and unified metadata for Agentforce, and a single data pipeline with MDM on Data Cloud. Salesforce will also support Informatica's continued strategy of building best-in-class, AI-powered data management products. Salesforce plans to invest in Informatica's ecosystem of data and infrastructure partners and apply Salesforce's marketing and distribution teams to accelerate the growth of Informatica's cloud business. Cloud Software Group, formerly Citrix Systems Inc had also eyed the deal, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. Informatica held $1.9 billion in total debt, as per Bloomberg data. Informatica stock, down over 24% in the last 12 months, has long been a potential takeover target. However, Bloomberg analyst Sunil Rajgopal highlighted an overlap between Informatica and Salesforce's MuleSoft unit could attract regulatory scrutiny. In April 2024, Salesforce ended its acquisition discussions with Informatica after disagreeing on terms. Informatica, founded in 1993, provides customers with cloud-based, subscription data management services and automation solutions, including Unilever and Deloitte. In early 2023, Salesforce faced criticism for its acquisition strategy from activist investors such as ValueAct Capital and Elliott Management, leading to cost reductions, increased share repurchases, and the dissolution of its mergers and acquisitions board committee. Salesforce has acquired numerous companies over the years, including Tableau Software for $15.7 billion in 2019 and Slack Technologies for nearly $28 billion in 2020, marking its most significant acquisitions. Salesforce held $14.03 billion in cash and equivalents as of January 31, 2025. BofA Securities analyst Brad Sills rerated the stock backed by Salesforce Sales Cloud as the company's flagship offering, generating an estimated subscription revenue of $7.9 billion in fiscal 2026. It is growing at an estimated 9% growth rate (constant currency), keeping pace with Sills' estimate for total company subscription revenue. Price Actions: INFA shares traded higher by 5.63% at $23.82 premarket on the last check Tuesday. CRM shares traded higher by 0.57%. Read Next: Nvidia May Beat Q1, But Q2 Sales Could Fall To $41 Billion On China Ban, BofA Securities Analyst Warns Image via Shutterstock CRMSalesforce Inc$274.800.61%Stock Score Locked: Edge Members Only Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Unlock RankingsEdge RankingsMomentum38.22Growth91.15Quality64.10Value7.72Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewINFAInformatica Inc$23.835.68%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Salesforce Bets Big on AI Future With $8 Billion Informatica Acquisition | PYMNTS.com

Salesforce announced Tuesday that it has struck an agreement to acquire data management firm Informatica in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion, according to Reuters. The acquisition marks Salesforce's largest since its $27.7 billion purchase of Slack in 2021, signaling the company's return to major mergers and acquisitions after a period of restraint. The cloud-based software provider had previously stepped back from large-scale deals under the watchful eyes of activist investors calling for enhanced financial performance. Per Reuters, Salesforce had abandoned earlier talks with Informatica last year after failing to reach consensus on deal terms. Now, with the renewed agreement in place, Salesforce is poised to significantly broaden its data capabilities -- an essential move as it intensifies efforts to incorporate generative AI throughout its offerings. The integration of Informatica's tools is expected to give Salesforce greater oversight of how enterprise data is processed and utilized, an increasingly vital factor in developing AI-driven software. "Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, emphasizing that the acquisition will bolster the company's role in the enterprise data market, which is estimated to exceed $150 billion. According to Reuters, Salesforce has already made strides in deploying AI through its Agentforce platform, which enables businesses to use AI agents for tasks such as customer service and recruiting. The company has reportedly secured over 1,000 paid deals for these autonomous tools. Under the terms of the deal, Salesforce will pay $25 per share for Informatica, representing a roughly 30% premium over the target company's stock price as of May 22, the day before speculation of renewed talks surfaced. Informatica shares climbed 5.8% in premarket activity to $23.86 following the announcement, while Salesforce stock rose by 1.2%. The acquisition, expected to close in the early months of Salesforce's next fiscal year beginning in February, will be financed through a combination of cash and new debt. Analysts from Scotiabank, as cited by Reuters, noted the strategic value of the purchase, suggesting it positions Salesforce to compete more effectively with peers offering comprehensive data solutions as part of larger software ecosystems.

Salesforce to Acquire Informatica to Enhance Agentic AI Features | PYMNTS.com

The transaction has been approved by both companies' boards of directors and is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, subject to customary closing conditions, Salesforce said in a Tuesday (May 27) press release. "Bringing together Informatica's cloud-native capabilities ... with the Salesforce platform will unlock new capabilities for Salesforce's enterprise data stack, delivering a complete solution to the challenges of AI at scale...," the release said. Adding Informatica's rich data catalog, data integration, governance, quality and privacy, metadata management and Master Data Management services to Salesforce's Data Cloud, MuleSoft integration platform and Tableau analytics platform will strengthen Salesforce's position in the market by enhancing the quality of its autonomous agents, the release said. The combination will ensure auditability and compliance; meaningful context for AI agents; and standardized, accurate, consistent and secure data, per the release. "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," Informatica CEO Amit Walia said in the release. Salesforce is seeing demand for its data cloud services as enterprises realize they have to better organize their data to fully tap the power of generative and agentic AI, Salesforce Senior Vice President of Product Management Gabrielle Tao told PYMNTS in an interview posted in April. "We make enterprise data ready for the agentic era," Tao said. "We're very excited to keep going and make agentic experiences world-class."

Salesforce to buy Informatica for US$8 billion to bolster AI data tools

Salesforce said on Tuesday it would buy Informatica for about US$8 billion, betting on the data management platform to sharpen its competitive edge in the booming artificial intelligence market. The cloud-software giant CRM.N is returning to big-ticket M&A after years on the sidelines, driven by scrutiny from activist investors pressing for better profitability. It had last year shelved deal talks with Informatica INFA.N after the companies failed to agree on deal terms. Buying Informatica, in its biggest deal since its nearly $28 billion acquisition of Slack Technologies in 2021, would help Salesforce expand its data management tools as it doubles down on AI-powered products. The deal would also allow Salesforce to tighten control over how business data is managed and used, an essential step as it races to embed generative AI deeper into its products. "Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, adding the deal will strengthen its position in the $150 billion-plus data enterprise market. The company has been offering AI agents - programs that can handle routine work without human supervision - to businesses for recruiting and customer service. It has closed more than 1,000 paid deals for "Agentforce," its platform for creating AI-powered virtual representatives. Salesforce is paying $25 for each share of Informatica, a premium of about 30 per cent to Informatica's closing price on May 22, the day before news of renewed talks emerged. Informatica shares were 5.8 per cent higher in premarket trading at $23.86, while Salesforce was up 1.2 per cent. Salesforce expects to close the deal in early next fiscal year starting February through a mix of cash and new debt. The deal is expected to boost its operating margin from the second year after closing. Scotiabank analysts said the move could help Salesforce catch-up with software rivals as "data management software is now most often sold as part of mega-vendor tool kits." The business software company has been a prolific dealmaker, buying data analytics firm Tableau Software in 2019 for $15.7 billion in stock, and Slack in 2021 in its biggest deal. Those deals drew scrutiny in 2023 when activist investors, including ValueAct Capital and Elliott Management, pressed for changes to improve profitability.

Salesforce to pay $25 per share for Informatica - WSJ By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Salesforce is nearing an agreement to acquire Informatica in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal, expected to be announced later on Tuesday, will reportedly see Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) pay $25 per share for the data-management software company, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ. The acquisition comes after earlier talks between the two companies fizzled out in 2024 over disagreements on terms. Informatica, based in Redwood (NYSE:RWT) City, California, had previously been in discussions with Salesforce about a potential sale that could have valued the company at around $10 billion. However, those negotiations fell apart last year, said the WSJ. The renewed discussions signal a fresh alignment between the two firms. Informatica specializes in enterprise data integration and management, offering tools that help businesses organize and analyze large volumes of data across systems. The acquisition would mark one of Salesforce's larger recent deals as it continues to invest in expanding its data and AI capabilities. In 2021, the company completed a deal to acquire workplace collaboration firm Slack for $28 billion. The WSJ noted that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has been more recently focused on shifting Salesforce's focus to artificial intelligence agents.

Salesforce to buy Informatica for $8 billion to bolster AI data tools

(Reuters) - Salesforce said on Tuesday it would buy Informatica for about $8 billion, betting on the data management platform to sharpen its competitive edge in the booming artificial intelligence market. The cloud-software giant is returning to big-ticket M&A after years on the sidelines, driven by scrutiny from activist investors pressing for better profitability. It had last year shelved deal talks with Informatica after the companies failed to agree on deal terms. Buying Informatica, in its biggest deal since its nearly $28 billion acquisition of Slack Technologies in 2021, would help Salesforce expand its data management tools as it doubles down on AI-powered products. The deal would also allow Salesforce to tighten control over how business data is managed and used, an essential step as it races to embed generative AI deeper into its products. "Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry," said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, adding the deal will strengthen its position in the $150 billion-plus data enterprise market. The company has been offering AI agents - programs that can handle routine work without human supervision - to businesses for recruiting and customer service. It has closed more than 1,000 paid deals for "Agentforce", its platform for creating AI-powered virtual representatives. Salesforce is paying $25 for each share of Informatica, a premium of about 30% to Informatica's closing price on May 22, the day before news of renewed talks emerged. Informatica shares were 5.8% higher in premarket trading at $23.86, while Salesforce was up 1.2%. Salesforce expects to close the deal in early next fiscal year starting February through a mix of cash and new debt. The deal is expected to boost its operating margin from the second year after closing. Scotiabank analysts said the move could help Salesforce catch-up with software rivals as "data management software is now most often sold as part of mega-vendor tool kits". The business software company has been a prolific dealmaker, buying data analytics firm Tableau Software in 2019 for $15.7 billion in stock, and Slack in 2021 in its biggest deal. Those deals drew scrutiny in 2023 when activist investors, including ValueAct Capital and Elliott Management, pressed for changes to improve profitability. (Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)