US OKs Microsoft’s $16B Purchase Of Nuance

US antitrust regulators have approved Microsoft’s  deal to buy artificial intelligence and speech technology company Nuance Communications, according to a filing made by Nuance to the government.

Announced in April, the US$16 billion deal came after the companies partnered in 2019 to automate healthcare administrative work, such as documentation.

According to Reuters, Nuance told the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, June 4, that the deadline for the US government to object to the deal had expired on June 1.

That expiration “satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the merger,” the company said in the filing.

The Nuance deal is expected to bolster Microsoft’s presence in healthcare, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saying, “Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise AI. AI is technology’s most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application. Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we accelerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance.”

When the deal closes, Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance and he will be reporting to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft.

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