Shares of Salesforce.com, inc. (CRM) surged over 2% Friday following a report from CNBC’s David Faber that Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) had been in talks with its software rival about a purchase.
According to the sources that were familiar with the situation, the talks stalled as Microsoft was said to be willing to offer $55 billion for Salesforce, while its founder and CEO Marc Benioff may have asked as much as $70 billion for the company.
“Salesforce was engulfed in takeover rumors late last month when Bloomberg reported on an approach of an unnamed suitor that was not Microsoft, for the company. Bloomberg also reported earlier this month that Microsoft was evaluating a bid for Salesforce, but said no talks between the two companies were taking place. Both reports sent shares of Salesforce sharply higher,” Faber said.
The talks between the companies concluded in early May and it was not expected they would re-emerge anytime soon.
In addition to a disparity in price expectations, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella “was said to be somewhat reluctant to pull the trigger on a deal of such size and consequence for his company,” according to the report.
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