Mergers & Acquisitions

A Top-Ranked M&A Firm

Representing more technology companies in merger and acquisition transactions than any other U.S. law firm, Wilson Sonsini consistently is ranked among the top M&A advisors, based on the number of announced and/or completed transactions, by such authorities as Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, and LSEG.

Advising on Hundreds of M&A Deals Annually

In 2023, Wilson Sonsini advised on more than 120 M&A deals that were announced and/or completed during the year, with an aggregate disclosed value of more than $60 billion. In 2022, the firm advised on more than 135 M&A deals that were announced and/or completed during the year, with an aggregate disclosed value of more than $119 billion.

Comprehensive Scope of Transactions Experience

Wilson Sonsini counsels on the full range of M&A transactions involving domestic and foreign technology, life sciences, and other enterprises at all stages of development. Our M&A teams advise companies on both the buy and sell sides of all manner of transactions, including small "tuck-in" acquisitions, public company acquisitions, strategic mergers and business combinations, complex cross-border transactions, SPACs and reverse mergers, business and asset acquisitions, growth equity investments, joint ventures, spin-offs, and other business dispositions.

An Interdisciplinary Team

Our corporate and M&A attorneys often serve as the coordinating interface with in-house counsel for a multidisciplinary Wilson Sonsini team, including our attorneys who have expertise in areas of importance to transactions, including corporate governance; corporate securities; IP; executive compensation and employee benefits; tax; and real estate. We also have an elite merger clearance team of antitrust attorneys and advise on regulatory matters inherently involved in completing transactions, including CFIUS, export controls, FCPA anti-corruption compliance, and privacy. In addition, we have established relationships with leading law firms in international markets that are not in proximity to our own global office locations.

Our cross-disciplinary approach has been highly effective for our clients. For example, our track record of obtaining favorable outcomes before U.S. federal antitrust agencies in connection with technology-related M&A transactions is without peer. To date, we successfully have defended hundreds of Hart-Scott-Rodino-reportable M&A transactions, and none of our clients has ever abandoned a merger or acquisition or had it blocked as a result of action by the FTC or the DOJ.

Aligned with Client M&A Strategies

Our attorneys aim to align with our clients' M&A strategies in a manner that reflects each client's business profile, objectives, and internal operations, as well as the unique elements of the transaction. The combination of our breadth of M&A transactional experience and our client-driven approach has enabled us to become a trusted advisor to numerous companies in connection with their strategic acquisition programs.

Recent and Milestone Transaction Examples

Recent M&A transactions in which the firm participated include representing:

• VIZIO in its $2.3 billion acquisition by Walmart
• Pismo on its $1 billion acquisition by Visa
• Hawaiian Airlines on its $1.9 billion acquisition by Alaska Airlines
• Rover on $2.3 billion acquisition by Blackstone
• Kerecis on its $1.3 billion acquisition by Coloplast
• Momentive on its $1.5 billion acquisition led by Symphony Technology Group
• Morgan Stanley, financial advisor to Qualtrics in its $12.5 billion buyout
• Sumo Logic on its $1.7 billion acquisition by Francisco Partners
• KnowBe4 on its $4.6 billion acquisition by Vista Equity Partners
• Twitter in its $44 billion acquisition by Elon Musk
• KnowBe4 in its $4.6 billion acquisition by Vista Equity Partners
• ForgeRock in its $2.3 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo
• MaxLinear on $3.8 billion acquisition of Silicon Motion
• Poly in its $3.3 billion acquisition by HP Inc.
• Mandiant in its $5.4 billion acquisition by Google
• Bungie in its $3.6 billion acquisition by Sony
• Zynga in its $12.7 billion acquisition by Take-Two
• DoorDash in its $8.1 billion acquisition of Wolt
• Medallia in its $6.4 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo
• Lumentum in its $5.7 billion acquisition of Coherent
• Talend in its $2.4 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo
• Credit Karma in its $7.1 billion acquisition by Intuit

Other representative M&A transactions in which the firm participated include:

• Genentech in its $48 billion acquisition by Roche
• LinkedIn in its $26.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft
• Pharmacyclics in its $21 billion acquisition by AbbVie
• CA Technologies in its $18.9 billion acquisition by Broadcom
• Altera in its $16.7 billion acquisition by Intel
• Linear Technology in its $14.8 billion acquisition by Analog Devices
• Microchip in its $8.3 billion acquisition of Microsemi
• Sun Microsystems in its $7.8 billion acquisition by Oracle