Salesforce announces $5.66 billion Braze deal
Has agreed to buy customer-engagement platform Braze for $5.66 billion, with Braze shareholders set to receive $47.50 per share in cash. The deal is expected…
Salesforce announces $5.66 billion deal to buy Braze, offering shareholders of the customer-engagement platform $47.50 per share in cash. The proposed acquisition would add Braze’s marketing tools for customer data and messaging to Salesforce’s business, with completion expected in fiscal 2028 if shareholders and regulators approve it.
The market response diverged sharply: Braze shares rose more than 50% on Tuesday after briefly being halted in premarket trading, while Salesforce shares slipped roughly 1% on Tuesday morning, according to CNBC. The announcement puts a major cash offer on the table for Braze investors, but the deal is not yet complete.
Braze’s shares closed at $30.04 on Monday, CNBC reported. Under the agreement, holders of Braze Class A common stock will receive $47.50 in cash per share. The company’s stock jumped after news of the proposed purchase, while Salesforce’s shares moved lower.
The transaction remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. Salesforce said in a blog post that it expects the deal to close in fiscal 2028. Until those conditions are met, Braze shareholders face a proposed acquisition rather than a completed sale, and the timing depends on the approval process.
The difference in the two stocks’ reactions reflects what the announcement means for each group of investors. Braze shareholders would receive a fixed cash amount for each eligible share if the deal closes. Salesforce investors, meanwhile, saw the company’s shares slip as the acquisition became public; CNBC did not report a reason for that move.
Braze makes artificial intelligence marketing tools used to manage customer data and messaging. That product focus places the company within Salesforce’s effort to build out technology for marketers and other enterprise customers. Bill Magnuson, Braze’s CEO, said Salesforce shared the company’s commitment to marketers.
“Salesforce shares our commitment to marketers, and we'll continue building as Braze and investing in the Braze community of customers and partners who built this company with us,” Magnuson said in a statement.
He said the companies intended to use Salesforce’s platform to develop Braze’s offering and help marketers build relationships with customers. The statement described the companies’ plans, while the acquisition itself still awaits the required approvals.
The Braze agreement follows other moves by Salesforce tied to artificial intelligence. CNBC reported that, months earlier, Salesforce announced plans to buy AI customer service platform Fin for about $3.6 billion, a deal intended to bolster its agentic AI offerings for enterprises.
Salesforce and Anthropic also announced an expanded partnership in August. It included a new plugin called “Claudeforce,” with pre-built sales skills designed to help salespeople compose emails and update records using the model, CNBC reported.
For marketers, the proposed acquisition could bring Braze’s customer-data and messaging tools into Salesforce’s platform if the transaction receives approval and closes. The immediate consequence for investors is clearer: Braze’s offer is valued in cash per share, while the completion date remains conditional.
Salesforce expects the transaction to close in fiscal 2028, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Source: cnbc.com
