Proofpoint agrees to buy Varonis for $6.3 billion in cash to protect company data from AI agents
The $49.75-a-share offer is 52% above Varonis’s price before sale rumours began in June. The deal needs shareholder and regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of 2027.
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- Editor approvalMayank Sahu · 16 Oct, 14:17
- Published16 Oct, 14:17
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How this was made: researched, drafted and source-checked by AI (Claude, made by Anthropic), then published under the editor’s standing approval. A person did not read it line by line before it went live. AI policy
In short
Proofpoint agreed on 15 October 2026 to acquire data security company Varonis for $49.75 a share in cash, about $6.3 billion. The price is 52% above Varonis’s close on 22 June, before sale rumours. Both companies frame the deal around protecting data from AI agents.
The deal
Proofpoint, a cybersecurity company owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, agreed on 15 October 2026 to buy Varonis Systems for $49.75 a share in cash, valuing it at about $6.3 billion.12
According to the announcement filed by Varonis:1
- The price is 52% above Varonis’s close of $32.71 on 22 June 2026, the last full trading day before sale rumours.
- It is 17% above the $42.35 close on 1 September, before further media reports.
- Varonis’s board approved the deal. It still needs shareholder and regulatory approval.
- It is expected to close in the first half of 2027, after which Varonis will leave Nasdaq.
Why AI agents are the pitch
Varonis sells software that tracks who can reach sensitive company data. Proofpoint chief executive Sumit Dhawan said AI creates risk on two fronts: attackers using AI to move faster, and companies giving AI agents wide access to sensitive data.2 He called the deal “a defining step in Proofpoint’s evolution into a cybersecurity platform built for the future of AI”.1
Varonis chief executive Yaki Faitelson said: “Our mission is to secure AI and the data that powers it.”1
Advisers
Goldman Sachs advised Varonis. BofA Securities, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, UBS and Mizuho advised Proofpoint.1
What is not known
How Proofpoint will combine the two product lines, and whether jobs will be cut.
Fact ledger
How labels workQuestions readers ask
How much is Proofpoint paying for Varonis?
$49.75 a share in cash, about $6.3 billion in total.
When will the deal close?
In the first half of 2027, if shareholders and regulators approve.
What happens to Varonis shares?
Varonis will stop trading on Nasdaq when the deal closes.