International Business Machines Corp. scheduled a shareholder vote for February 12, 2026, regarding its acquisition of Confluent Inc. The proposed transaction values the data-streaming platform at $11 billion. Confluent will report its final quarterly earnings as an independent company on February 11, 2026. The acquisition price is set at $31 per share.
IBM intends to use the acquisition to bolster its artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud capabilities. Confluent’s platform provides the real-time data infrastructure necessary for deploying AI at scale.
The Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period expired in January 2026. Investors representing approximately 62% of the voting power have already committed to the transaction. The merger is expected to close in mid-2026 following the shareholder vote.