Last year saw a slight decrease in the global technology merger and acquisition activity from the blockbuster year that was before that–when IBM acquired Red Hat for a mind-blowing $33 billion, SAP bought Qualtrics for $8 billion, and Broadcom added CA technologies into their corner for $18.9 billion in cash.
What acquisitions does 2020 have in store? If the beginning of the year is any indication, then there will be no slowing of significant deals across the industry, with security being pretty hot right now.
- Microsoft acquires CyberX
CyberX was founded in 2013 that allows its customers to manage and improve the security of the IoT assets that can be anything from autonomous robots on a factory floor or a horde of consumer-centered smart doorbells. Microsoft announced its acquisition in June for an undisclosed amount. It will incorporate CyberX technology and its talent to its Azure cloud unit.
Facebook buys Giphy for $400m
Facebook announced in May that it would buy Giphy, the famous library where people search for movable images or gifs. Along with the team, the product will be rolled into the Instagram division of the social media giant. Giphy makes conversations interesting, and Facebook intends to integrate this library into other apps so that people can enjoy it everywhere.
- Zoom acquires Keybase
Zoom has come under scrutiny during the pandemic since its usage saw an unprecedented increase, including its security credentials. Due to this, the CEO announced that these customer concerns would be addressed, and this acquisition is being positioned to that cause. Keybase specializes in end-to-end encryption, which is a cryptography method that ensures that content can’t be seen by anyone other than the parties involved, including the vendor itself.
- Intel acquires Israeli start-up Moovit for $1b
Moovit is a mobility data specialist and journey planner founded in 2012. Intel has been a strategic investor in the start-up from the beginning leading up to this acquisition. Moovit provides real-time traffic update to third-party ride-hailing services and transit authorities by using its mobile app. The chipmaker will bring Moovit into its Mobileye mobility unit, which offers driver assistance to 60 million vehicles and is working on autonomous vehicle technology.
This is just the tip of the iceberg on the merger and acquisitions front in 2020. There are more that have happened, and more to follow that will change the face of technology rapidly.
