After some lengthy back-and-forth discussions, CRM provider Salesforce have announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Informatica.
This comes after progress came to a halt last year and eventually fell through, and a series of private discussions that opened up again this year.
An $8B Acquisition
Salesforce have officially acquired Informatica for a hefty $8B in equity value, as part of a bigger plan to strengthen Salesforce’s data foundations needed to support their AI ventures. Informatica’s functionality makes it perfect for this, providing a suite of data integration, quality, governance, and management tools designed to give organizations more control over their data.
In this new agentic world, data lies at the heart of it all, and for good reason. The saying “your AI output is only as good as your data input” is one that has been making the rounds ever since ChatGPT was unveiled, and it still rings true to this day. With Informatica firmly situated in Salesforce’s catalog, unlocking the value behind data within the platform may now have become much easier.
What Are the Outcomes of This Acquisition?
For an organization like Salesforce to hesitate, pull out, and then edge back in, the acquisition company would need to be worth it – and Informatica certainly is.
Salesforce are currently throwing everything at their primary AI offering, Agentforce, and as impressive as the tool is, it needs a lot of data management to work effectively. We reported last year that Salesforce are centering their product suite around being able to ingest and process huge amounts of data, and this acquisition is merely the next step.
According to Salesforce’s CEO, Marc Benioff:
“Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry. 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 $150B-plus enterprise data market.”
There is no better time than the present to address the challenges that AI-first organizations need to overcome, and some of the ways that Informatica can aid Salesforce here include:
- Achieving Data Clarity with Data Cloud: Informatica can strengthen Data Cloud’s functionality as a Customer Data Platform (CDP), ensuring data from across the organization is not just unified but clear, trusted, and actionable.
- Elevating Agentforce: Combined, Informatica and Salesforce can provide a critical foundation for autonomous AI agents to interpret and act on complex enterprise data, building a true system of intelligence on a trusted system of understanding.
- Augmenting the Customer 360: Salesforce CRM applications will be enhanced, giving teams the confidence to deliver more personalized and effective customer experiences backed by trusted data.
A Discount Deal
Although this deal has now made it across the line, it is unlikely to have gone smoothly, as has been reported. For one, under this agreement, “holders of Informatica’s Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 in cash per share”, according to Salesforce. On April 12, when the Wall Street Journal reported about last year’s round of acquisition talks, Informatica shares were trading at $38.48. This is a 34% discount.
Some analysts have cited that this is an interesting arrangement, especially as the organization is currently just under $2B dollars in debt.
Summary
Salesforce’s acquisition of Informatica feels like a long time coming, but many experts do anticipate that this partnership and share of offerings will help Salesforce along further with their bold AI goals.
It also cements another idea: 2025 is already the year of AI agents, and now it is certainly also the year of M&A.
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