Silver Lake in Talks to Acquire Workday in Potential Landmark Software Buyout

Published Aug 13, 06:35 PM UTC

Private equity firm Silver Lake is in discussions to acquire Workday, a cloud-based human resources and financial management software company, in a deal that could rank among the largest software buyouts in history. The talks, which have been ongoing for months, sent Workday shares nearly 18% higher, boosting its market value to around $51.1 billion. Silver Lake may bring in additional investors, as it did with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for its $55 billion take-private of Electronic Arts. The potential acquisition comes amid a slowdown in large software buyouts due to concerns over artificial intelligence's impact on traditional software valuations. Workday, founded in 2005 and serving over 11,500 customers, recently brought back co-founder Aneel Bhusri as CEO to navigate AI pressures. The company reported $9.6 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025, with growth slowing to 13%.