--- title: "The 30 Biggest Tech Acquisitions of the Last Decade" lang: en canonical_url: https://www.papermark.com/blog/biggest-tech-acquisitions last_updated: 2026-07-21 published: 2025-03-15 category: [mergers-and-acquisitions] author: "Marc Seitz" summary: "Discover the biggest tech M&A deals of the past decade, from Microsoft's $68.7B Activision purchase to Meta's strategic Instagram acquisition. Plus, learn how modern data rooms streamline M&A processes." --- # The 30 Biggest Tech Acquisitions of the Last Decade ## 30. Twitter Acquires MoPub - **Year:** 2013 - **Value:** $350 million Twitter's acquisition of MoPub expanded its advertising capabilities by providing better ad monetization tools. --- ## 29. Amazon Buys Zappos - **Year:** 2009 - **Value:** $1.2 billion This acquisition helped Amazon gain a foothold in the online shoe and apparel market. --- ## 28. Meta Acquires Instagram - **Year:** 2012 - **Value:** $1 billion Meta's acquisition of Instagram reshaped the social media landscape, giving it dominance in photo and video sharing. --- ## Secure your M&A Process with Papermark Managing mergers and acquisitions requires secure document sharing and efficient due diligence. Papermark provides enterprise-grade data rooms that help companies: - Share sensitive documents securely - Track document access and analytics - Streamline due diligence processes - Maintain confidentiality throughout deals --- ## 27. Cisco Acquires ThousandEyes - **Year:** 2020 - **Value:** $1 billion Cisco acquired ThousandEyes to enhance its network intelligence and analytics capabilities, a move aimed at improving network performance monitoring. --- ## 26. eBay Acquires PayPal - **Year:** 2002 (Split in 2015, Re-Acquisition in Talks) - **Value:** $1.5 billion Although this deal occurred before the last decade, PayPal's growth under eBay influenced the payments landscape significantly. --- ## 25. Meta Acquires Oculus VR - **Year:** 2014 - **Value:** $2 billion This acquisition underscored Meta's commitment to virtual reality and its vision for the metaverse. --- ## 24. Google Buys Fitbit - **Year:** 2021 - **Value:** $2.1 billion This acquisition marked Google's entry into the wearables market, enhancing its health and fitness technology portfolio. --- ## 23. Uber Acquires Postmates - **Year:** 2020 - **Value:** $2.65 billion This deal strengthened Uber's food delivery business, helping it compete more effectively against DoorDash. --- ## 22. Apple Buys Beats Electronics - **Year:** 2014 - **Value:** $3 billion Apple's acquisition of Beats brought premium headphones and a music streaming service under its umbrella. --- ## 21. Google Acquires Nest Labs - **Year:** 2014 - **Value:** $3.2 billion Google expanded into smart home technology with its acquisition of Nest Labs, known for its innovative thermostats and security devices. --- ## 20. HP Acquires Poly - **Year:** 2022 - **Value:** $3.3 billion HP expanded its portfolio of workplace solutions with this acquisition of the video and audio tech company Poly. --- ## 19. Adobe Buys Marketo - **Year:** 2018 - **Value:** $4.75 billion Adobe expanded its marketing technology offerings with the acquisition of Marketo, targeting enterprise customers. --- ## 18. Microsoft Acquires GitHub - **Year:** 2018 - **Value:** $7.5 billion Microsoft expanded its developer tools portfolio with the acquisition of GitHub, the largest software development platform globally. --- ## 17. Amazon Acquires MGM - **Year:** 2021 - **Value:** $8.45 billion With this acquisition, Amazon gained access to MGM's massive library of content to boost its Prime Video offering. --- ## 16. Google Acquires Motorola Mobility - **Year:** 2012 - **Value:** $12.5 billion This acquisition helped Google secure patents for its Android ecosystem and briefly entered the hardware market. --- ## 15. Intel Buys Altera - **Year:** 2015 - **Value:** $16.7 billion Intel acquired Altera to enhance its data center and FPGA offerings, targeting cloud computing markets. --- ## 14. Intel Buys Mobileye - **Year:** 2017 - **Value:** $15.3 billion This acquisition positioned Intel as a key player in the autonomous driving and computer vision space. --- ## 13. Salesforce Buys Tableau - **Year:** 2019 - **Value:** $15.7 billion Salesforce added advanced data visualization and analytics capabilities with this acquisition. --- ## 12. Adobe Acquires Figma - **Year:** 2022 - **Value:** $20 billion Adobe strengthened its design tools portfolio with this high-profile acquisition, aiming to dominate collaborative design. --- ## 11. Microsoft Acquires LinkedIn - **Year:** 2016 - **Value:** $26.2 billion This acquisition solidified Microsoft's position in professional networking and enterprise tools. --- ## 10. Salesforce Acquires Slack - **Year:** 2021 - **Value:** $27.7 billion This acquisition bolstered Salesforce's position in the collaboration tools market, directly competing with Microsoft Teams. --- ## 9. Oracle Acquires Cerner - **Year:** 2021 - **Value:** $28.3 billion Oracle's acquisition of Cerner marked its expansion into the healthcare IT sector, enhancing its cloud-based solutions for patient care. --- ## 8. SoftBank Acquires ARM - **Year:** 2016 - **Value:** $31 billion SoftBank's acquisition of ARM signaled its interest in IoT and mobile computing technologies. --- ## 7. AMD Acquires Xilinx - **Year:** 2020 - **Value:** $35 billion AMD boosted its semiconductor capabilities with this acquisition, strengthening its competitive edge against Intel. --- ## 6. IBM Buys Red Hat - **Year:** 2019 - **Value:** $34 billion IBM acquired Red Hat to accelerate its hybrid cloud strategy, making this the largest software acquisition of the decade. --- ## 5. NVIDIA Acquires ARM - **Year:** Pending Approval (Announced 2020) - **Value:** $40 billion This proposed deal aims to combine NVIDIA's expertise in AI with ARM's dominant mobile processing technology. --- ## 4. Dell Acquires EMC - **Year:** 2016 - **Value:** $67 billion This deal remains one of the largest tech acquisitions ever, positioning Dell as a leader in data storage and cloud computing. --- ## 3. Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard - **Year:** 2022 - **Value:** $68.7 billion This acquisition marked Microsoft's largest deal ever, emphasizing its commitment to gaming and the metaverse. --- ## 2. Oracle Acquires TikTok US Operations (Pending) - **Year:** 2021 - **Value:** $90 billion Antitrust clearance yet completed impacts scale signifying fiscal landmarks. --- ## 1. Dell Acquires EMC - **Year:** 2016 - **Value:** $67 billion This monumental acquisition highlights the value of high-end data storage solutions. ## Managing M&A with Secure Data Rooms When dealing with large-scale tech acquisitions, secure data rooms play a crucial role in facilitating the due diligence process. A virtual data room (VDR) provides a secure environment for sharing sensitive documents and information between parties involved in mergers and acquisitions. ### Key Benefits of Data Rooms for M&A - **Secure Document Sharing**: Protect sensitive information with advanced encryption and access controls - **Due Diligence Efficiency**: Streamline the review process with organized document structure - **Activity Tracking**: Monitor who views what and when with detailed analytics - **Cost-Effective**: More affordable than traditional physical data rooms - **24/7 Access**: Enable remote access to documents from anywhere ### Papermark's Data Room Solution Papermark offers an ideal solution for managing M&A transactions with its combination of robust security features and user-friendly interface: - Unlimited data rooms and storage - Advanced document analytics - Custom branding options - Self-hosting capabilities - Open-source platform ![Data Room Analytics](https://img.papermarkassets.com/upload/file_YVZLbYwELYa8SxfjBg3mGe-virtual-data-room-analytics-.png) ### Cost-Effective Solution Compared to traditional VDR providers, Papermark offers competitive pricing: - Papermark VDR: €59/month (billed yearly) - Average VDR providers: €750/month (billed yearly) ### Conclusion A well-organized data room is essential for successful M&A transactions. It ensures secure document sharing, streamlines the due diligence process, and helps maintain confidentiality throughout the deal. With Papermark's secure and affordable solution, you can create a professional data room that facilitates smooth M&A transactions while protecting sensitive information. ## FAQ ### What is the biggest tech acquisition of all time? Microsoft's $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard (completed in 2023) is among the largest tech acquisitions ever, alongside Dell's $67 billion acquisition of EMC in 2016. These mega-deals show how the biggest players use M&A to enter or dominate entire categories. ### What are the biggest tech acquisitions of the last decade? Standout deals include Microsoft-Activision Blizzard ($68.7B), Dell-EMC ($67B), and Microsoft-LinkedIn ($26.2B), plus strategic buys like Meta-Instagram. This guide profiles 30 of the largest, spanning gaming, enterprise software, and social media. ### Why do big tech companies acquire startups? Acquirers buy for technology and IP, talent (acqui-hires), market share, or to remove a competitor. A strong acquisition can be faster than building in-house, which is why the biggest tech firms spend tens of billions on M&A. ### How does a data room help in M&A? A virtual data room centralizes due diligence documents, controls who sees what, and tracks engagement so the seller knows which buyers are serious. Papermark's data room adds page-by-page analytics and watermarking, streamlining diligence while protecting confidential deal files. ### How much does an M&A data room cost? Legacy VDR providers often charge around €750/month or more, while Papermark offers a modern data room at €99/month for the Data Rooms plan (with lower tiers available), making secure M&A document sharing accessible even for smaller deals. --- _Markdown version of [this article](https://www.papermark.com/blog/biggest-tech-acquisitions) for AI agents and LLMs._ _More Papermark content: [llms.txt](https://www.papermark.com/llms.txt) · [full index](https://www.papermark.com/llms-full.txt)._