Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 13
Workday Jumps 18% on Silver Lake Buyout Talks, Lifting Value Near $51 Billion
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 13

Workday Jumps 18% on Silver Lake Buyout Talks, Lifting Value Near $51 Billion

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 13

Summary

  • Workday closed up nearly 18%—its best day since 2016—after a Reuters report said Silver Lake has been in acquisition talks with the HR software maker for months.
  • Multiple trading halts hit late-afternoon trading as the rally pushed Workday's market value to nearly $51 billion, though neither company immediately commented.
  • The talks come after AI-driven worries battered software stocks and left Workday shares down 7% over the past year, making a potential deal a test of private-equity appetite for the sector.
  • Workday has recently tried to steady sentiment: co-founder Aneel Bhusri returned as CEO in March, and the company in May beat expectations and raised its outlook on AI tailwinds.

Insights

With Workday's AI revenue nearing $500 million, is Silver Lake using market panic to snatch a cash-generating giant at a massive discount?
How will a privatized, AI-powered Workday reshape the fierce battleground against enterprise software rivals like Oracle and Salesforce?
Could the long-standing personal ties between the CEOs be the true catalyst driving this historic $53 billion enterprise software buyout?