Salesforce will acquire cloud data management company Informatica in an $8 billion deal, marking the customer relationship management giant's largest acquisition since Slack in 2021, and signaling an aggressive return to major M&A amid a growing race to dominate artificial intelligence.
The all-cash deal, announced Tuesday, will see Salesforce pay $25 per share for Informatica's Class A and B-1 common stock-a 30% premium over its May 22 closing price. Informatica shares rose 5.8% to $23.86 in premarket trading, while Salesforce gained 1.2%.
"Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data," said Steve Fisher, Salesforce's president and chief technology officer. "The combination of Informatica's advanced catalog and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this."
Salesforce will fund the deal through a combination of existing cash reserves and newly issued debt. The company expects to close the transaction in early fiscal 2026, which begins in February, and projects that the deal will be accretive to its operating margin beginning in the second year after closing.
CEO Marc Benioff stated, "Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry." He emphasized the acquisition's role in helping the company compete in the $150 billion enterprise data market.
Salesforce's Agentforce platform-designed to power generative AI agents for functions like recruiting and customer service-has already secured over 1,000 paid contracts. By integrating Informatica's tools for data cataloging, governance, integration, and privacy, Salesforce aims to tighten its control over data pipelines critical for AI deployment.
The move comes after Salesforce had previously walked away from deal talks with Informatica last year due to disagreements over terms. Now, under pressure from activist investors such as Elliott Management and ValueAct Capital, the company is making bold plays to boost long-term profitability and product integration.
Salesforce's M&A history includes the $15.7 billion acquisition of Tableau Software in 2019 and its $27.7 billion purchase of Slack in 2021.
