Salesforce is planning to buy AI marketing company Braze, sending BRZE shares surging 50%

A move announced by the software-as-a-service giant Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) is sending the stock price of a relatively unknown AI marketing firm surging this morning. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On Tuesday morning, Salesforce announced plans to acquire digital marketing firm Braze (Nasdaq: BRZE) for about $5.66 billion. According to the terms of the deal, Salesforce will pay Braze Class A common stockholders $47.50 in cash per share. Braze’s AI-powered multichannel marketing solutions will be integrated into Salesforce’s core offerings, which Salesforce believes will give it an edge with its enterprise solutions. This is especially true at a time when Wall Street has become concerned about a so-called SaaSpocalypse. Business models of legacy software-as-a-service companies are feared to be under threat as businesses increasingly turn to AI solutions to meet their needs. “AI is raising the bar for marketers, who now need agentic solutions that can understand customers, make decisions, and act in real time,” Salesforce noted in a release announcing the news, adding that “Braze’s real-time engagement and AI decisioning capabilities are expected to complement all fou…

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