January Report: C3.ai in Talks to Be Acquired, Valued at $1.7 Billion
Key Facts
The Information reported on January 27, 2026, citing people familiar with the discussions, that C3.ai was in merger talks with private company Automation Anywhere. The report dates to January and does not establish that there has been any new development in the talks as of November 3, 2026. According to the report, if a deal were reached, Automation Anywhere would buy C3.ai, thereby becoming publicly listed. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the report, and the two companies did not immediately respond to its requests for comment. The deal remains attributed to The Information report and is not a confirmed announcement by either company.
The Information report said C3.ai's market capitalization had fallen to $1.7 billion on January 27, 2026, equivalent to one-tenth of its valuation six years earlier. The report cited the figure in the context of the discussions, but the information available here does not give a value for a potential deal. For comparison, private investors valued Automation Anywhere at $6.8 billion in 2019, according to Reuters. That valuation applies to the private company in that year, while the $1.7 billion figure refers to C3.ai's market capitalization as reported in January. Neither figure represents a disclosed valuation for a deal between the companies.
The latest operating results cited for Automation Anywhere are for the first quarter of its fiscal 2027, which the company reported on July 2, 2026. The company said revenue, annual recurring revenue and cRPO posted double-digit growth in the quarter. It also said it maintained profitability on a non-GAAP basis and positive cash flow. These results put the company's performance in its context before the story's date and are not a financial announcement issued in November. The results statement did not link these metrics to the merger talks cited in the January report.
On its customer base, Automation Anywhere said the number of enterprises with annual recurring revenue above $1 million rose 25% year over year in fiscal first-quarter 2027. It added that annual recurring revenue at those enterprises grew 27% over the same period. The figures apply to enterprises above the stated threshold, not the company's total customer count or total revenue. The chief executive also said the company signed an outcome-based deal in the quarter that he described as the largest in its history. He said revenue and annual recurring revenue associated with the deal would follow deployment milestones.
C3.ai shares, which trade under the ticker AI, closed at $11.55 on November 2, 2026, according to EL7 data. That figure marks the trading session before the story's date and does not by itself establish that the stock moved because of a report dating to January. The available information on the discussions remains tied to The Information report published on January 27, which Reuters was unable to immediately verify at the time. The cited Automation Anywhere results are for fiscal first-quarter 2027 and were announced on July 2. The evidence includes no later announced deal date or recent update from either company on the talks.