Acquisition Approval Challenged as States Target HPE’s Juniper Purchase

A coalition of twenty state attorneys general has petitioned a federal court to reexamine the already-approved acquisition of Juniper Networks by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. This unexpected legal challenge emerged months after the official close of the $14 billion transaction on July 2.

The heart of the dispute lies in the adequacy of the remedies imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which initially sought to block the merger before ultimately granting approval following concessions from HPE. Prosecutors argue these conditions fail to sufficiently address competitive concerns.

The DOJ’s clearance was contingent upon two primary requirements:
– The divestiture of HPE’s “Instant On” wireless networking business within 180 days
– The licensing of Juniper’s AI Ops for Mist source code to third parties

This Read more...