Today, I’m pleased to share that we have signed an agreement to acquire Intentional Software, a company that has been focused on creating a platform for a new generation of team productivity apps.

At Microsoft, we aspire to help people and organizations be more productive, wherever they are. The reality is we live in a hyper-connected world that requires the ability to collaborate across geographies, disciplines and organizations, which is why we continue to push ourselves to think about new ways to empower people. You’ve seen this with the recent launch of Microsoft Teams, a chat-based workspace for Office 365, and the continued momentum and customer demand for Surface Hub, a device designed to unlock the power of the group.

This acquisition will build on the work we’re already doing to deliver the tools necessary to be productive in an information-rich world. Intentional Software’s technology and talent will enhance our existing capabilities and strengthen our ability to add new tools and services to Microsoft’s robust productivity offering. We’re excited about the company’s work on productivity applications, especially given our focus of putting people at the center of experiences and our continued effort to reimagine collaboration.

Founded in 2002 by Charles Simonyi, a pioneer in the area of intentional programming, Intentional Software was initially focused on how to make programming less complicated. Over the past few years, the Intentional Software team has applied their programming expertise to develop productivity scenarios for the future workforce. Many of you will remember Charles for the work he led during his distinguished career at Microsoft. During his tenure, Charles oversaw the creation of some of Microsoft’s most well-known productivity applications, such as Excel and Word. Now it’s my honor to welcome Charles back to Microsoft, along with his exceptional team.

I’m confident that the work being done by Intentional Software will be a tremendous asset as we continue to innovate on collaboration tools and experiences for modern workers – and it’s with great pleasure that I welcome them to Microsoft.

Intentional Software’s CEO Eric Anderson, and founder Charles Simonyi, share their thoughts on today’s news here.

The closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

Update May 5, 2017: Microsoft has completed its acquisition of Intentional Software.

Tags: Productivity