Even with the additional layer of evaluation, Salesforce still expects to close its deal for Slack in the quarter that ends on July 31, according to a regulatory filing.
The review, known as a second request, is not unprecedented: GE s 2017 Baker Hughes acquisition, Charles Schwab s 2020 TD Ameritrade deal and Anheuser-Busch s 2020 transaction with Craft Brew Alliance, which involved the sale of Kona Brewing s Hawaii operations to another company, all faced similar requests.
There are signs the U.S. might take a stronger approach to antitrust enforcement than it did under Barack Obama, CNBC reported in January. In Congress, Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota who became chair of the Senate s Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust this month, has proposed a sweeping reform of antitrust enforcement.