Google-backed software developer GitLab explores sale, sources say

GitLab, a US provider of cloud-based software development tools whose investors include Google parent Alphabet, is exploring a sale after attracting acquisition interest, according to people familiar with the matter.

GitLab, which has a market value of about $8 billion, is working with investment bankers on a sale process that has attracted interest from peers, including cloud monitoring firm Datadog, the sources said.

Any deal is still weeks away and no agreement is certain, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the matter is confidential.

GitLab and Datadog did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alphabet, which has a 22.2 per cent voting stake in GitLab through its venture capital arm, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Dealmaking in the technology sector is picking up, as advances in artificial intelligence and cloud computing push companies to expand their offerings. Alphabet is in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for roughly $23 billion after previously exploring an acquisition offer for marketing software company HubSpot, Reuters has reported.

The technology sector accounted for the largest share of mergers and acquisitions during the first half of 2024, jumping more than 42 per cent year-on-year to $327.2 billion globally, according to data from Dealogic.

GitLab's platform allows development, operations and security teams to design and manage software using a single tool. It has more than 30 million registered users and is deployed by more than half of the Fortune 100 companies, according to its website. Its nominal headquarters are in San Francisco but all its employees work remotely.

GitLab's shares, which have been trading in New York since their initial public offering in 2021, are down 16 per cent so far this year, underperforming a 3 per cent rise in the S&P 500 Application Software index, on concerns about its customers cutting spending.

While the company reported robust year-on-year revenue growth of 33 per cent to $169.2 million and posted its first ever positive cash flow in its latest quarter, it acknowledged it faces headwinds in pricing its offerings as it competes with Microsoft following its $7.5 billion acquisition in 2018 of rival GitHub.

GitLab CEO and co-founder Sid Sijbrandij, who controls 45.51 per cent of the voting stock through dual-class shares, said on the company's quarterly earnings call last month that he would undergo treatment for osteosarcoma, a form of cancer, for a second time after he was also treated for it last year. He added that he is working on making a full recovery and would continue with his duties.

Datadog, which has a market value of $44 billion, offers software that allows technology workers to collaborate and measure their productivity using the cloud.