Microsoft, Nuance, and Industry-Specific Clouds

Thoughts on Microsoft's agreement to acquire Nuance Communications

On April 12th, Microsoft (MSFT) announced an agreement to acquire Nuance Communications (NUAN) for ~$16 billion, the second largest acquisition in the company’s history (behind the 2016 acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.2 billion). 

Before jumping into the deal, let’s take a step back: What is Nuance? 

The company, which was founded in the early 1990’s and …