SAP to Acquire SmartRecruiters, Expanding Talent Acquisition Capabilities in SuccessFactors Suite

SAP (NYSE: SAP) has announced plans to acquire SmartRecruiters, a global leader in talent acquisition software, in a move aimed at enhancing the SAP SuccessFactors human capital management (HCM) suite.

Headquartered in San Francisco, SmartRecruiters is recognised for its expertise in high-volume recruitment, automation, and AI-driven candidate experiences. These strengths are expected to integrate seamlessly into SAP’s existing HCM tools, helping organisations attract, hire, and retain top talent in today’s competitive job market.

The addition of SmartRecruiters’ intuitive interfaces and streamlined workflows will complement SAP’s HR solutions by improving decision-making, shortening hiring timelines, and enhancing the candidate journey. The combined use of embedded analytics and AI from both companies will offer insights into talent pools, recruitment challenges, and workforce planning strategies.

“Hiring the right people is not just an HR priority – it’s a business priority. With this planned acquisition, we will help our customers attract and hire the best talent so they can advance their talent acquisition agendas with speed and agility, while lowering their total cost of ownership,” said Muhammad Alam, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, SAP Product & Engineering. “Customers will be able to manage the entire candidate lifecycle — from sourcing and interviewing to onboarding and beyond — all in a single system to streamline the experience for recruiters, hiring managers and, in particular, candidates.”

The acquisition is expected to deliver enhanced, AI-enabled applicant tracking and screening tools, alongside improved recruitment analytics. These capabilities will integrate directly into SAP’s HCM suite, ensuring harmonised data, compliance, and operational efficiency. SmartRecruiters will also continue offering its platform as a standalone solution in the near term.

Serving over 4,000 organisations worldwide, SmartRecruiters’ SaaS platform supports the full hiring process and provides engaging experiences for recruiters, hiring teams, and candidates.

“SmartRecruiters’ mission has always been to make hiring easy. Joining forces with SAP presents a tremendous opportunity for enterprises worldwide to benefit from our industry-leading approach to talent acquisition. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity this planned acquisition presents for our customers, partners and employees as we build the future of hiring together,” said SmartRecruiters CEO Rebecca Carr.

The deal is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending regulatory and other customary approvals. Terms have not been disclosed. J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor to SmartRecruiters.