Damilola
As the internet and technology space continues to implode worldwide, some of the world’s biggest companies are tech companies by multiple metrics. These companies have provided a solution to some of humanity’s daily needs, innovated, and improved our lives.
Although Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition might be the most popular so far due to the popularity of the platform and Elon Musk (the richest man in history), the $44 billion he paid to take Twitter private is not the most amount paid to acquire a tech company.
These are the top 10 most significant-tech acquisitions of all time:
- Microsoft acquired Activision for $68 billion:
The biggest deal in the tech industry is the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. It is the biggest ever in the gaming sector too. The deal involved Microsoft paying $95.00 per share while making it the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue.
- EMC Corporation bought by Dell for $67 billion:
Close to the Microsoft deal price is Dell’s payment of $67 billion to acquire the EMC corporation back in 2015. With the new acquisition, Dell strengthened its corporate computing, especially IT services.
- Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion:
It started with a casual exchange on Twitter in 2017 that has now gone viral which was followed by a Twitter poll Elon Musk said would have great ramifications in 2022. A few weeks ago, Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share price.
Announcing the deal, Twitter revealed that Musk had secured $25.5 billion of the total $44 billion amount through debt and margin loan financing, while he is also committing $21 billion in equity. He vows to unlock the full potential of Twitter and make its algorithms open source. He also aims to make the platform better, more profitable, and more welcoming of free speech.
- SoftBank bought Arm in 2016 for $31 billion:
Softbank completed the acquisition of Arm for a whopping $31 billion in 2016. This was the biggest deal for a European tech company. Since then, it has announced its plans to take the British firm public after the whole Arm Nvidia deal collapsed.
- Salesforce acquired slack for $28 billion:
In 2020, Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion. The new owner aimed at “defining the future of enterprise software” with a competent messaging platform under its repertoire. The acquisition improved Salesforce’s competitive advantage against the likes of Microsoft and Google in the business communication space.
- Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26 billion:
Microsoft completed the deal for $26.2 billion in 2016. Microsoft promised a bunch of enhancements to LinkedIn, such as integration with the Office suite of apps and an “Intelligent Newsfeed.” While some of the changes are live on the career networking platform, not all have been implemented.
- WhatsApp acquisition by Facebook for $19 billion:
This one has sent waves across the whole tech world, especially in markets like India, wherein WhatsApp is the go-to instant messaging app. Although the deal value was $16 billion in early 2014, by the time it went through, the price surged to $22 billion in October 2014. Today, the Meta (formerly Facebook) branded apps are ever more integrated and dominant in the markets like ours.
- Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2011 for $12.5 billion:
What started as a collaborative endeavor eventually became a case of acquisition for Google. This was back in 2011 when the good old Moto G and X series of Motorola phones were the talk of the town. The silicon valley giant had paid around $12.5 billion (or $40 per share) in cash. Although this made sense to the whole stock Android software market, it didn’t pan out as planned, and Google sold the brand to Lenovo.
- Microsoft purchased Skype for $8.5 billion:
Skype is so popular that it has become a verb over the years. So when Microsoft took ownership of Skype in 2011, it was headlining news. The Redmond, Washington-based company has since introduced other video calling and messaging services like Teams, but Skype still holds a special place in tech culture.
- GitHub acquired by Microsoft for $7.5 billion:
The coders will recall this deal wherein Microsoft took reins of Github for $7.5 billion. “We strengthen our commitment to developer freedom, openness, and innovation,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the deal announcement.
Some other famous mergers and acquisitions may not have made this list but are still important include:
- Microsoft bought Nokia for $7.2 billion
- YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion
- Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion.
- Tumblr acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion.
Significant acquisitions like this would happen often in the near future especially as we transition into a Web3 world. At List.NG, we will keep you updated on these happenings.
