Antitrust staff put vertical AI deals on a longer clock than buyers budgeted

WASHINGTON — The easy AI acquisition is over. Counsel said vertical deals that pair a model shop with a cloud, a data exhaust, or a workplace suite are being put on clocks that wreck a 90-day close plan.

Buyers still announce. They also now announce with a longer outside date and a weaker reverse-breakup number, which is how you can tell their lawyers won a meeting.

This will not stop M&A. It will change which assets get bought. Talent raids and licensing will substitute for some closings that would have been straightforward in 2018.