Salesforce announced Tuesday it will acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion, marking its largest deal since acquiring Slack in 2021 and a renewed commitment to expanding its capabilities in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market, reports Reuters.
The move brings Salesforce back into major M&A territory after a period of restraint driven by pressure from activist investors to improve profitability. Informatica, a leader in enterprise data management, is seen as a strategic fit to help Salesforce tighten control over business data—critical for the deployment of its generative AI products.
“Informatica and Salesforce will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry,” said CEO Marc Benioff. “This acquisition strengthens our position in the $150 billion enterprise data market.”
Under the agreement, Salesforce will pay $25 per share in cash, a 30% premium over Informatica’s closing price on May 22. Informatica’s stock rose nearly 6% following the announcement, while Salesforce shares gained nearly 2%.
The negotiations, which initially stalled in 2023, resumed in April 2025 as several potential buyers—including private equity firms Thoma Bravo and Cloud Software Group—expressed interest in Informatica. While those talks didn’t proceed, they reignited Salesforce’s pursuit of the company.
The acquisition, expected to close in early fiscal 2026, will be financed through a combination of cash and new debt. Salesforce projects the deal will begin to boost its operating margins in the second year after closing.
The acquisition supports Salesforce’s broader strategy to lead in enterprise AI. Its Agentforce platform—used for customer service and recruiting—has secured over 1,000 paying customers and relies heavily on accurate, real-time data access.
By integrating Informatica’s tools, which are designed to manage complex, multi-cloud data environments, Salesforce aims to offer more comprehensive AI solutions. Scotiabank analysts noted that the move reflects a shift in the software industry, where data management is increasingly bundled with other enterprise tools.
Salesforce, long known for its aggressive acquisition strategy, previously acquired Tableau Software for $15.7 billion in 2019 and Slack for nearly $28 billion in 2021. However, these deals were criticized in 2023 amid investor calls for better cost discipline.
This latest deal suggests that Salesforce sees long-term value in AI-driven data services as foundational to the future of enterprise software. Benioff emphasized the importance of the acquisition, stating, “The future of AI is data, and Informatica is the gold standard in intelligent data management.”
With this acquisition, Salesforce is positioning itself as a leading provider of AI-first enterprise tools in a market increasingly defined by data intelligence and automation.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
