Salesforce buys a military software startup for $375 million

Salesforce, the company behind widely used sales and customer software, said on Friday that it is buying Rune Technologies, a startup that builds software for defense. The price is $375 million in cash and stock, according to the online publication Resilience Media. The deal was reported by The Information.

What the deal is for

Rune will help build out Missionforce, which is Salesforce's set of software tools made for the military. Salesforce said it is buying the startup to expand that suite. The material available does not describe what Rune's software does in detail, so how it will fit into Missionforce is not clear yet.

Why it matters

Salesforce is best known for business tools, not military ones. This purchase shows software makers that many people already use are chasing government and military work. That can shape where those companies spend their money and what they decide to build.

What is not known yet

• Salesforce did not confirm the price in the material available. The $375 million figure comes from Resilience Media.
• When the deal will close is not stated.
• What Rune's products will look like inside Missionforce is not stated.
• Whether the deal changes anything for current Salesforce business customers is not stated.

What happens next

The headline describes this as part of an acquisition streak for Salesforce. Watch for more detail from the company on timing, price and plans for Missionforce. Until then, the main signal is direction: Salesforce wants a bigger role in defense software.