KKR to Acquire Broadcom’s End-User Computing Division
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Insights
The acquisition of Broadcom Inc.'s End-User Computing Division by KKR represents a significant realignment within the technology sector, particularly in the digital workspace solutions market. The valuation of the deal at approximately $4 billion underscores the strategic importance of the EUC Division's offerings, including Horizon and Workspace ONE, which are pivotal in enabling secure and seamless digital workspaces.
From a financial perspective, the transaction could potentially unlock value for both Broadcom and the new standalone entity. Broadcom may benefit from a sharpened focus on its core semiconductor business and the infusion of capital, which could be redirected towards debt reduction or share buybacks. Meanwhile, the EUC Division, with KKR's backing, may accelerate its growth trajectory through targeted investments in R&D and strategic partnerships, enhancing its competitive position in the UEM and virtualization platforms market.
Investors should monitor the post-acquisition performance closely, as the success of such spin-offs hinges on the standalone entity's ability to innovate and expand its market share. Additionally, the implementation of KKR's broad-based employee ownership program could incentivize employee performance and align their interests with business success, potentially leading to enhanced productivity and innovation.
The digital workspace solutions market is witnessing robust growth, driven by the increasing need for remote work capabilities and enterprise mobility. The EUC Division's flagship products, Horizon and Workspace ONE, are well-positioned within this market, offering comprehensive solutions for application and desktop virtualization, as well as unified endpoint management.
KKR's investment strategy, focusing on product innovation and customer-centricity, is likely to resonate with the current market demands. By becoming a standalone company, the EUC Division will have the agility to respond more effectively to market trends and customer needs. This could lead to an enhanced product suite and better customer service, potentially increasing the division's market share.
Stakeholders should consider the potential for the EUC Division to capture a larger portion of the market, especially given the evolving nature of work and the increasing complexity of technology stacks in enterprise environments. The division's commitment to expanding R&D and forming new strategic partnerships could lead to the development of leading-edge technologies that cater to the next generation of digital workspace requirements.
The transaction's closure is contingent upon customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, which is a standard procedure for deals of this magnitude. Regulatory scrutiny will likely focus on competition law aspects to ensure that the acquisition does not lead to undue market concentration or hinder competition.
Legal considerations also extend to the transfer of intellectual property and compliance with data privacy regulations, given the nature of the EUC Division's business in managing and securing applications, desktops and data across devices. The legal due diligence process will be critical in ensuring that all contractual obligations with customers and partners are maintained post-acquisition and that there is a smooth transition of the division into a standalone entity.
Furthermore, the introduction of KKR's employee ownership program post-acquisition will require careful legal structuring to align with existing employment agreements and equity incentive plans. This aspect of the deal could foster a more engaged and motivated workforce but must be implemented in compliance with employment laws and securities regulations.
Originally a division of VMware prior to Broadcom’s acquisition, the EUC Division provides a leading suite of digital workspace solutions that allow organizations to securely deliver and manage applications, desktops and data across any device or platform. Its flagship products include Horizon, a leading desktop and application Virtualization platform, and Workspace ONE, a marquee Unified Endpoint Management (“UEM”) platform for the enterprise, along with common platform services of data, identity and workflows. The EUC Division leverages advanced data and intelligence in order to drive greater scale, speed and effectiveness for today’s modern, digital workspace.
“Workspace ONE and Horizon are best-in-class platforms chosen by many of the world’s leading enterprises to create seamless and secure digital workspaces with interoperability across increasingly complicated technology stacks,” said Bradley Brown, Managing Director at KKR. “We see great potential to grow the EUC Division by empowering this talented team and investing in product innovation, delivering excellence for customers and building strategic partnerships.”
As a standalone company, the EUC Division will continue to be run by its existing management team led by Shankar Iyer. In addition to expanding R&D and pursuing new strategic partnerships, KKR plans to support the EUC Division’s focus on customer relationships through significant investments across go-to-market functions. The standalone business will be positioned to make long-term investments in resourcing for customer success, partner support and an expanded, dedicated sales team.
“We are confident that this pending transaction marks an exciting next chapter for the EUC Division and one that will create enormous opportunities and benefits for our customers, partners and employees,” said Shankar Iyer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, End-User Computing Division, Broadcom. “The KKR team knows our industry well and is the ideal strategic partner to help us become a standalone company with an exclusive focus on delivering powerful tools for the digital workspace.”
“EUC is a leader within large, high growth categories and demand for the business’s marquee offerings continues to grow as the workplace and the needs at the front-line evolve rapidly,” said John Park, Partner at KKR. “We are excited to deploy our experience and toolkit at KKR to back a world-class company in its next chapter as a standalone business, with accelerated investment and a continued focus on product and customer-centricity.”
After becoming a standalone company, the EUC Division will implement KKR's broad-based employee ownership program, which makes all employees owners in their respective businesses alongside KKR. This strategy is based on the belief that employee engagement and a strong ownership culture are key drivers in building stronger companies. Since 2011, KKR portfolio companies have awarded billions of dollars of total equity value to over 60,000 non-senior management employees across more than 40 portfolio companies.
KKR is making its investment primarily through its North America Fund XIII. The transaction is expected to close in 2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Evercore, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Jefferies LLC are acting as financial advisors and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to KKR. Citi is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Broadcom.
About End-User Computing (EUC) Division
End-User Computing Division is the digital work platform leader, trusted by thousands of organizations worldwide as the former VMware EUC business. The EUC digital work platform unifies, automates, and efficiently scales the digital workspace. The intelligence-driven platform enables IT to deliver a secure and productive experience for all employees, across their devices, efficiently at scale. By empowering employees to do their best work, anywhere, we help workforces everywhere unlock exponential business value.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group’s website at www.globalatlantic.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240225450030/en/
Media
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212-750-8300
Media@kkr.com
Source: KKR
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