Salesforce announced its plans to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion, aiming to strengthen its position in the rapidly growing AI data sector through enhanced data management capabilities.
This marks the cloud software leader’s return to major acquisitions after a period of restraint, prompted by pressure from activist investors demanding improved profitability.
Negotiations gained momentum in early April when several potential buyers — including private equity firms and other companies — approached Informatica around the same time, according to a source familiar with the sale discussions. Two sources confirmed that five parties expressed interest, including Thoma Bravo and Cloud Software Group. Thoma Bravo declined to comment, while Cloud Software Group did not respond immediately.
Acquiring Informatica would mark Salesforce’s largest deal since its $27.7 billion purchase of Slack in 2021. The move positions Salesforce to strengthen its data management capabilities as it sharpens its focus on AI-driven solutions. The acquisition also enables Salesforce to take greater control over how it handles and leverages enterprise data—a crucial step as it accelerates the integration of generative AI data across its product suite.
“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 already secured over 1,000 paid contracts for Agentforce, its platform for building AI-powered virtual representatives.
As part of the Informatica acquisition, Salesforce is offering $25 per share, representing a 30% premium over Informatica’s closing stock price on May 22, just before reports of renewed negotiations surfaced. Following the announcement, Informatica shares rose 5.8% to $23.86, while Salesforce shares were up 1.78% in afternoon trading.
Salesforce actively deploys AI data agents—automated programs that handle routine tasks without human intervention—for business functions like recruitment and customer service. The company plans to close the deal early next fiscal year, starting in February, and will finance it through a combination of cash and new debt. Salesforce anticipates the acquisition will start to enhance its operating margin from the second year onward.
Scotiabank analysts stated that the acquisition could help Salesforce close the gap with software competitors, as “data management software is now most often sold as part of mega-vendor tool kits.”
Salesforce has a history of major acquisitions, having acquired data visualization firm Tableau Software for $15.7 billion in stock in 2019, followed by its largest-ever deal in 2021—the $27.7 billion purchase of Slack.
However, these high-profile deals came under increased scrutiny in 2023, when activist investors such as ValueAct Capital and Elliott Management began pushing for strategic changes aimed at boosting profitability.
