Verint to Join Thoma Bravo in $2B CX Automation Deal

/ AI, Automation, Customer Experience, Enterprise Software
Verint to Join Thoma Bravo in $2B CX Automation Deal

The News

Verint announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Thoma Bravo in a $2 billion all-cash transaction. The deal, which represents an 18% premium to Verint’s unaffected share price, will combine Verint’s CX Automation platform with Thoma Bravo portfolio company Calabrio. 

Analysis

Customer experience (CX) and AI-driven automation are consolidating into platform plays. According to theCUBE Research, automation and AI in customer engagement remain top investment areas as enterprises seek to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. With AI now accounting for half of Verint’s annual recurring revenue (ARR), the deal reflects the market’s pivot from traditional workforce engagement tools toward AI-first platforms that automate workflows and improve efficiency at scale.

What Does This Acquisition Mean for Developers

Verint’s shift into the Thoma Bravo portfolio signals greater integration between CX workflow automation and AI-driven insights. Developers working on customer engagement, contact center, or customer data management systems may see a rising demand for APIs and integrations that bridge conversational AI, analytics, and workflow automation. With Calabrio already in the Thoma Bravo ecosystem, the combined company could offer a broader developer surface (tools, connectors, and SDKs) designed to streamline how applications plug into enterprise CX automation platforms.

Past Approaches to CX and Workflow Automation

Developers supporting CX initiatives have used point solutions for call recording, analytics, or chat automation, often resulting in siloed systems with limited cross-channel visibility. Custom integrations and middleware were common, but they introduced complexity and latency. As we have noted in related contexts, fragmentation across tools creates friction that slows developer productivity and business agility. Verint’s acquisition shows how the market is consolidating these fragmented tools into unified platforms, reducing the integration burden on developers.

A Future Built on AI-Driven CX Platforms

This acquisition highlights the industry’s movement toward AI-powered, unified CX platforms that deliver automation out of the box. Developers may find fewer requirements for building custom connectors as platforms expand native AI functionality, but governance, extensibility, and interoperability will remain crucial. While every enterprise has unique workflows and legacy systems, the trend suggests developers will increasingly focus on embedding AI capabilities into customer-facing apps via platform APIs rather than reinventing automation workflows.

Looking Ahead

The acquisition positions Thoma Bravo to create one of the broadest CX automation portfolios by uniting Verint and Calabrio under one umbrella. For the industry, this could accelerate consolidation and intensify competition among CX platform providers that are embedding AI deeper into customer interactions.

The CX automation landscape is shifting from standalone tools to full-stack AI platforms. As AI-driven engagement becomes a core business priority, developer roles may evolve toward optimizing integrations, ensuring compliance, and enabling personalization at scale. Verint’s move into private ownership also suggests faster product innovation cycles without the quarterly pressure of public markets, a potential benefit to developers who rely on these platforms.

Authors

  • With over 15 years of hands-on experience in operations roles across legal, financial, and technology sectors, Sam Weston brings deep expertise in the systems that power modern enterprises such as ERP, CRM, HCM, CX, and beyond. Her career has spanned the full spectrum of enterprise applications, from optimizing business processes and managing platforms to leading digital transformation initiatives.

    Sam has transitioned her expertise into the analyst arena, focusing on enterprise applications and the evolving role they play in business productivity and transformation. She provides independent insights that bridge technology capabilities with business outcomes, helping organizations and vendors alike navigate a changing enterprise software landscape.

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  • Paul Nashawaty

    Paul Nashawaty, Practice Leader and Lead Principal Analyst, specializes in application modernization across build, release and operations. With a wealth of expertise in digital transformation initiatives spanning front-end and back-end systems, he also possesses comprehensive knowledge of the underlying infrastructure ecosystem crucial for supporting modernization endeavors. With over 25 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record in implementing effective go-to-market strategies, including the identification of new market channels, the growth and cultivation of partner ecosystems, and the successful execution of strategic plans resulting in positive business outcomes for his clients.

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