Top 10 Largest Technology M&A Deals in History
This ranking covers the top 10 largest M&A deals in tech history, sorted by transaction value. These acquisitions have reshaped the global technology landscape, involving giants in semiconductors, software, and the internet, representing the pinnacle of capital and technological integration in the digital age.
Interesting Facts & Summary
In the history of tech M&A, Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard stands as the undisputed champion and a definitive industry watershed. For perspective, the deal's value rivals the annual GDP of several medium-sized nations. Beyond securing legendary IP like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, the acquisition triggered a grueling two-year global regulatory marathon, becoming a masterclass in antitrust complexity. Notably, this staggering sum would have been enough to purchase two other top-tier traditional game publishers combined, signaling a shift in the gaming industry from simple software retail to the ultimate competition for 'service-based content assets'.
| Rank | Deal Name | Value (USD Billion) | Acquirer & Target |
|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard | 68.7 | Microsoft / Activision Blizzard | |
Broadcom acquisition of VMware | 61 | Broadcom / VMware | |
Dell acquisition of EMC | 60 | Dell / EMC | |
| 4 | AMD acquisition of Xilinx | 49 | AMD / Xilinx |
| 5 | IBM acquisition of Red Hat | 34 | IBM / Red Hat |
| 6 | Salesforce acquisition of Slack | 27.7 | Salesforce / Slack |
| 7 | PayPal acquisition of Honey | 25 | PayPal / Honey |
| 8 | Microsoft acquisition of LinkedIn | 26.2 | Microsoft / LinkedIn |
| 9 | Avago acquisition of Broadcom | 37 | Avago / Broadcom |
| 10 | Intel acquisition of Altera | 16.7 | Intel / Altera |