Microsoft acquires robotic process automation platform Softomotive

During his Build keynote, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today confirmed that the company has acquired Softomotive, a software robotic automation platform. Bloomberg first reported that this acquisition was in the works earlier this month, but the two companies didn't comment on the report at the time.

Today, Nadella noted that Softomotive would become part of Microsoft's Power Automate platform. We're bringing RPA - or robotic process automation to legacy apps and services with our acquisition of Softomotive," Nadella said.

Softomotive currently has about 9,000 customers around the world. Softomotive's WinAutomation platform will be freely available to Power Automate users with what Microsoft calls an RPA attended license in Power Automate.

In Power Automate, Microsoft will use Softomotive's tools to enable a number of new capabilities, including Softomotives low-code desktop automation solution WinAutomation. Until now, Power Automate did not feature any desktop automation tools.

It'll also build Softomotive's connectors for applications from SAP, as well as legacy terminal screens and Java, into its desktop automation experience and enable parallel execution and multitasking for UI automation.

Softomotives other flagship application, ProcessRobot for server-based enterprise RPA development, will also find a new home in Power Automate. My guess, though, is that Microsoft mostly bought the company for its desktop automation skills.

One of our most distinguishing characteristics, and an indelible part of our DNA, is an unswerving commitment to usability," writes Softomotive CEO and co-founder Marios Stavropoulos. We have always believed in the notion of citizen developers and, since less than two percent of the world population can write code, we believe the greatest potential for both process improvement and overall innovation comes from business end users. This is why we have invested so diligently in abstracting complexity away from end users and created one of the industry's most intuitive user interfaces - so that non-technical business end users can not just do more, but also make deeper contributions by becoming professional problem solvers and innovators. We are extremely excited to pursue this vision as part of Microsoft."

The two companies did not disclose the financial details of the transaction.