In his recent Foley Ignite blog cited by Corporate Counsel, Lehot reported that in the first half of 2025, six of the most prolific tech buyers completed 67 acqui-hires, an increase of 60% over the entirety of 2024.
“The data shows that after four years of being frozen out of the acqui-hire market by former FTC Chair Lina Khan, big tech companies are back with a vengeance,” he noted.
Lehot observed that while current U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice leadership are not necessarily “tech friendly,” they do appear more willing to allow traditional mergers to proceed compared to their predecessors.
“The rise of acquihiring represents more than a market trend, it’s an evolutionary response to capital scarcity, talent wars, and regulatory uncertainty that demands sophisticated legal frameworks and innovation-friendly policy approaches,” he continued, adding that “this model offers honorable (if not always lucrative) exits for founders and investors.”
“What stance policymakers ultimately take toward acqui-hires will have an impact on the AI economy for decades,” Lehot emphasized.
