Microsoft Pays $1.2 Billion for Yammer
Redmond-based software giant Microsoft announced earlier this week that it entered a definitive agreement to acquire leading enterprise social network service Yammer. Microsoft will shell out a total of $1.2 billion in cash to get its hands on Yammer – and once it has the leading provider of enterprise social networks, it will use it to further its social enterprise efforts.
Following the acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, Yammer will become part of the Microsoft Office Division, which his currently lead by Kurt DelBene. The Yammer team will continue to report to Davis Sacks, founder and CEO of Yammer. But I digress; let’s get back to the topic at hand.
As I was saying, Yammer will become part of the Microsoft Office Division. While Yammer will continue to work on its standalone service, Microsoft will accelerate Yammer’s adoption alongside complementary offerings from Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.
“The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft. “Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft’s growing portfolio of complementary cloud services.”
“When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big,” said Davis Sacks, founder and CEO of Yammer. “We had a vision for how social networking could change the way we work. Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise and resources we’ll need to scale and innovate.”
If you are not familiar with Yammer, let me provide a quick explanation: it is a service that lets employees stay in touch by joining a secure, private social network. Yammer was launched back in 2008 and it currently has more than 5 million corporate users. You can learn more about Yammer on its official site here.
Here’s a nice infographic released by Microsoft that puts the spotlight on Yammer.
Following the acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, Yammer will become part of the Microsoft Office Division, which his currently lead by Kurt DelBene. The Yammer team will continue to report to Davis Sacks, founder and CEO of Yammer. But I digress; let’s get back to the topic at hand.
As I was saying, Yammer will become part of the Microsoft Office Division. While Yammer will continue to work on its standalone service, Microsoft will accelerate Yammer’s adoption alongside complementary offerings from Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.
“The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft. “Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft’s growing portfolio of complementary cloud services.”
“When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big,” said Davis Sacks, founder and CEO of Yammer. “We had a vision for how social networking could change the way we work. Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise and resources we’ll need to scale and innovate.”
If you are not familiar with Yammer, let me provide a quick explanation: it is a service that lets employees stay in touch by joining a secure, private social network. Yammer was launched back in 2008 and it currently has more than 5 million corporate users. You can learn more about Yammer on its official site here.
Here’s a nice infographic released by Microsoft that puts the spotlight on Yammer.
