San Francisco, Jan 28, 2026, 09:28 PST
- C3.ai is in merger talks with Automation Anywhere, a report says, in a deal that could take the private firm public
- C3.ai shares rose in morning trade after the report; the stock is down more than 59% over the past year
- Automation Anywhere was last valued at $6.8 billion in a 2019 funding round
C3.ai (AI.N) is in talks to merge with privately held software maker Automation Anywhere, The Information reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. Reuters could not immediately verify the report and both companies did not respond to requests for comment. (Reuters)
If the talks lead to a deal, Automation Anywhere would buy the listed AI firm and use the transaction to go public — a reverse merger, where a private company gets a stock-market listing by acquiring a public one. That route can be faster than a traditional initial public offering. (LinkedIn)
For C3.ai, the report lands at a sensitive moment. The company has been weighing options after a steep share slide and questions from investors about strategy and leadership. (Streetinsider)
C3.ai shares were up about 4% in morning U.S. trading and touched a session high of $14.94, up roughly 19% from the prior close, according to market data.
C3.ai sells enterprise artificial intelligence software that it says helps customers build and run large-scale AI applications. Customers include the U.S. Air Force, and the company works across government, energy and manufacturing, according to the report. (The Star)
Automation Anywhere builds software that automates routine office tasks, often called robotic process automation, or RPA — software “bots” that handle repetitive work such as moving data between systems. In a 2019 funding announcement, Automation Anywhere said it had a $6.8 billion valuation, with Salesforce Ventures leading the round and SoftBank Investment Advisers and Goldman Sachs among investors; CEO Mihir Shukla said “software bots” were changing how people and technology interact at work. (Automation Anywhere)
The company had earlier raised $250 million in 2018 in a round led by New Enterprise Associates and Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, with General Atlantic participating, it said. NEA’s Scott Sandell called the company “poised for long-term success” at the time. (Automation Anywhere)
Reuters reported in November that C3.ai was exploring a potential sale and other options after founder Thomas Siebel stepped down as CEO over health concerns. Siebel said he had an autoimmune disease that caused “significant visual impairment,” and Salesforce veteran Stephen Ehikian took over as CEO on Sept. 1. (Reuters)
Investing.com put C3.ai’s market capitalization at about $1.78 billion at Tuesday’s close, and said the shares jumped more than 7% in aftermarket trading after the report. The site said C3.ai’s valuation more than halved in 2025 as doubts grew over revenue and long-term direction. (Investing)
But any deal is far from certain. The report did not include price terms, and talks can break down; even a signed agreement would still face approvals and the hard work of combining product roadmaps, sales teams and costs.
The pairing would link a long-time automation vendor with an enterprise AI software player, in a crowded field that includes UiPath in RPA and Palantir in data-and-AI software. Automation Anywhere has long been described as a chief UiPath rival. (Business Insider)
