Workday, a human resources software maker, saw its shares climb by almost 18%, marking its best daily performance since 2016. This surge followed a report from Reuters indicating that private equity firm Silver Lake is engaged in discussions to purchase the company.
Trading of Workday shares was halted multiple times during late afternoon. The company's market capitalization reached nearly $51 billion by market close after the news broke. Neither Workday nor Silver Lake provided immediate comments on the report.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that these discussions have been underway for several months. The potential acquisition comes as the software sector has faced investor concerns regarding the disruptive capabilities of artificial intelligence tools. An acquisition in this space could signal a resurgence of confidence in software companies despite these AI-related anxieties.
Workday's stock had recently experienced a selloff and remains down 7% year over year, despite rebounding from recent lows. In March, co-founder Aneel Bhusri reassumed the CEO role after Carl Eschenbach stepped down. The company also reported better-than-expected results in May and raised its forecast, citing AI tailwinds.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's briefNew every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
Workday's stock increased by nearly 18% following a Reuters report that private equity firm Silver Lake is in discussions to acquire the human resources software company. This potential acquisition suggests renewed investor interest in software companies, despite recent concerns about AI's impact on the sector.