Salesforce makes $16bn acquisition

Deal is Salesforce's largest to date

Salesforce is set to acquire analytics platform Tableau for $15.7bn (£12.4bn) in its largest acquisition to date.

The CRM vendor claims the acquisition will boost its credentials in digital transformation.

Salesforce co-CEO Mark Benioff said: "We are bringing together the world's number one CRM with the number one analytics platform.

"Tableau helps people see and understand data, and Salesforce helps people engage and understand customers.

"It's truly the best of both worlds for our customers - bringing together two critical platforms that every customer needs to understand their world."

Salesforce said the acquisition will add $350m to its full-year 2020 results and now expects revenue to be between $16.45bn and $16.65bn.

Tableau claims that 86,000 businesses around the world use its platform.

Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky said: "Joining forces with Salesforce will enhance our ability to help people everywhere see and understand data.

"As part of the world's number one CRM company, Tableau's intuitive and powerful analytics will enable millions more people to discover actionable insights across their entire organisations.

"I'm delighted that our companies share very similar cultures and a relentless focus on customer success. I look forward to working together in support of our customers and communities."

The acquisition comes less than a week after Google made its own analytics move, snapping up Looker in a $2.6bn deal.