Microsoft Reportedly Interested in Acquiring Salesforce

Stocks are flying.

Microsoft is reportedly considering a bid for Salesforce, the giant cloud computing company based in San Francisco. Sources told Bloomberg that Microsoft is evaluating its options after Salesforce was approached by another company, possibly a close rival of Microsoft.

The Redmond-based technology company would be a natural fit for Salesforce, considering that it also sells CRM software to businesses.

Microsoft is also taking a cloud-first strategy under the leadership of its new CEO. However, sources with knowledge of the matter said that Microsoft has yet to approach Salesforce for a possible deal.

Another company held negotiations with Salesforce in April, which compelled Microsoft to act. Although the company was not named, there are speculations that it could be SAP or Oracle. However, SAP CEO Bill McDermott dismissed the rumors, saying that Salesforce’s technology doesn’t pass SAP’s criteria for an acquisition.

“We have zero interest in Salesforce.com and never have we ever had any interest in Salesforce.com,” he added.

Meanwhile, Oracle CEO Safra Catz said that an acquisition of Salesforce would cause a disruption in the software market. When asked if Oracle is interested in buying Salesforce, Catz declined to comment. Oracle might be the most realistic buyer, according to FBR & Co. analyst Daniel Ives. Salesforce has a $49 billion market value.