Just days after reports surfaced about a possible deal, customer relationship management provider Salesforce has announced a deal to acquire enterprise collaboration platform Slack in a deal worth $27.7 billion.
In an announcement, the companies say combining Slack with Salesforce Customer 360 will be “transformative for customers and the industry,” creating an operating system for companies to succeed in digital environments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated companies’ cloud migrations and digital transformation, as has the need to deliver connected experiences for customers.
A combined solution will give organizations a single unified platform for “connecting employees, customers and partners with each other and the apps they use every day, all within their existing workflows,” according to the announcement.
According to Salesforce, Slack will be deeply integrated into every Salesforce Cloud and will be the new interface for Salesforce Customer 360, allowing organizations to be more productive, make smarter decisions, and create connected customer experiences.
When the transaction closes, Slack will become an operating unit of Salesforce, expanding its reach in the enterprise both alongside Salesforce and for any company undergoing digital transformation. The deal isn’t expected to close until 2022.
Slack will continue to be led by CEO Steward Butterfield, according to the announcement. In a statement, Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff said Slack’s leader has built “one of the most beloved platforms in enterprise software history.”
“This is a match made in heaven,” Benioff said. “Together, Salesforce and Slack will shape the future of enterprise software and transform the way everyone works in the all-digital, work-from-anywhere world. I’m thrilled to welcome Slack to the Salesforce Ohana once the transaction closes.”
In his own statement, Butterfield commented on the “massive” opportunity the deal has on the cloud revolution.
“As software plays a more and more critical role in the performance of every organization, we share a vision of reduced complexity, increased power and flexibility, and ultimately a greater degree of alignment and organizational agility,” Butterfield said. “Personally, I believe this is the most strategic combination in the history of software, and I can’t wait to get going.”
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