Silver Lake in Talks to Acquire Workday in One of Largest Software Buyouts Ever

Private equity firm Silver Lake is in discussions to acquire Workday, the cloud human-resources and financial software provider, in a deal that would rank among the largest software buyouts in history, according to Reuters. Workday carries a market value of roughly $43 billion, and the two firms have held talks behind closed doors in recent months, though no deal is guaranteed. News of the potential acquisition sent Workday shares skyrocketing approximately 25% on August 13 before trading was halted.

The report landed ahead of Workday's second-quarter earnings, with analysts already viewing the stock as undervalued at a roughly 27% discount to a fair value estimate of $221-$222 per share, and pointing to strong momentum in the company's Agentic AI initiatives as a driver of future revenue and profitability growth.