Salesforce’s Biggest Acquisitions: A Look Back as Slack Deal Looms

As reports confirm Salesforce’s impending acquisition of Slack for a potential record-breaking sum, it’s worth examining the CRM giant’s history of strategic purchases. Here’s a breakdown of Salesforce’s six largest acquisitions to date and how they’ve shaped the company’s evolution.

1. Tableau ($15.7 Billion, 2019)

  • Strategic Value: Added powerful data visualization capabilities
  • Impact: Became a cornerstone of Salesforce’s data strategy
  • Executive Insight: “Tableau is so strategic, both from a revenue and also from a technology strategy perspective,” said Bret Taylor, Salesforce President and COO. “As companies make the digital shift, visualizing data becomes crucial for understanding customer needs.”

2. MuleSoft ($6.5 Billion, 2018)

  • Strategic Value: Provided critical API integration technology
  • Impact: Enabled access to siloed enterprise data across platforms
  • Synergy: Combined with Tableau to enhance Salesforce’s Einstein AI capabilities

3. Demandware ($2.8 Billion, 2016)

  • Strategic Value: Established Salesforce in e-commerce
  • Evolution: Became Commerce Cloud
  • Pandemic Relevance: Proved invaluable as businesses shifted online during COVID-19

4. ExactTarget ($2.5 Billion, 2013)

  • Strategic Value: Marked entry into marketing automation
  • Evolution: Formed foundation of Marketing Cloud
  • Current Importance: Email marketing became essential for customer communication during the pandemic

5. ClickSoftware ($1.35 Billion, 2019)

  • Strategic Value: Strengthened Service Cloud offerings
  • Specialization: Enhanced field service capabilities
  • Customer Base: Expanded Salesforce’s reach in service management

6. Vlocity ($1.33 Billion, 2020)

  • Strategic Value: Added vertical-specific CRM solutions
  • Integration: Built natively on Salesforce platform
  • Market Expansion: Enabled deeper penetration into specialized industries

The Slack Factor: What’s Next?

While the Slack acquisition isn’t yet official, industry analysts expect it to potentially surpass even the Tableau deal in size. This would continue Salesforce’s pattern of strategic, revenue-boosting acquisitions that:

  • Fill critical technology gaps
  • Expand market reach
  • Drive annual revenue beyond $20 billion

Salesforce’s acquisition strategy demonstrates a clear vision: building an integrated ecosystem that addresses every aspect of customer relationship management in the digital age. As the Slack deal suggests, this expansion shows no signs of slowing down.

Remaining 0% to read
All articles, information, and images displayed on this site are uploaded by registered users (some news/media content is reprinted from network cooperation media) and are for reference only. The intellectual property rights of any content uploaded or published by users through this site belong to the users or the original copyright owners. If we have infringed your copyright, please contact us and we will rectify it within three working days.