Acquisition combines voice and digital messaging technologies to expand omnichannel customer engagement and strengthen the company’s enterprise AI offering

SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN) has completed its acquisition of LivePerson, Inc., combining SoundHound’s voice-based agentic AI technology with LivePerson’s enterprise digital messaging platform. The company also appointed John Collins as chief financial officer of the combined organization.

The acquisition expands SoundHound AI’s enterprise customer base to include 25 of the Fortune 100 and increases its intellectual property portfolio to more than 750 patents, according to the company. The combined platform is intended to support customer interactions across voice, websites, mobile applications, SMS, and social channels.

LivePerson’s technology will be integrated into SoundHound’s OASYS, or Orchestrated Agent System, which the company describes as a self-learning platform developed through years of research and acquisitions.

Expanding Omnichannel Customer Engagement

The integration brings together SoundHound’s voice AI capabilities and LivePerson’s digital messaging infrastructure to provide enterprises with a unified customer engagement platform.

The companies aim to help businesses manage customer interactions across channels through a common system, with the goal of improving resolution times, customer experiences, and the handling of routine inquiries.

“Now global brands have a single, unified engine to power intelligent customer interactions,” said Keyvan Mohajer, CEO and co-founder of SoundHound AI, describing the acquisition as a milestone for enterprise agentic AI.

The combined offering is expected to roll out to global customers over the coming quarters as product and operational integration continues.

Debt-Free Balance Sheet and Revenue Opportunities

SoundHound AI said it retired LivePerson’s outstanding debt as part of the transaction, leaving the combined company with a debt-free balance sheet.

The acquisition also expands the companies’ opportunities to cross-sell products across their respective enterprise customer bases. SoundHound AI estimates that the existing combined customer base could represent more than $500 million in future revenue opportunities.

The company expects the broader customer footprint and integrated technology portfolio to support commercial expansion and continued product development. The announcement also cited Gartner’s forecast that enterprise spending on agentic AI software will reach $985 billion by 2030.

John Collins Appointed Chief Financial Officer

SoundHound AI appointed John Collins as CFO following an executive search. He will oversee financial strategy, with responsibilities including operational integration, cost management, margin expansion, and progress toward sustainable profitability.

Collins brings more than 15 years of experience across enterprise software, data science, capital markets, corporate finance, and AI. He has held several leadership roles at LivePerson, including CFO, COO, and interim CEO, and has also worked as a founder.

During his career, Collins led initiatives that reduced annual cash burn by more than $100 million to achieve positive free cash flow within a year while supporting double-digit growth. He also oversaw cost-reduction programs exceeding $200 million and debt restructurings that captured $227 million in debt discounts, according to the announcement. Collins holds both a law degree and an MBA.

He said his priorities at SoundHound AI would include integrating operations, maintaining cost discipline, and supporting sustainable, high-margin growth as enterprise adoption of agentic AI expands.

Integration Underway

LivePerson CEO John Sabino said the combined company would help enterprises modernize contact centers and digital customer touchpoints through an enterprise-grade AI platform.

With the transaction complete, LivePerson common stock will cease trading on Nasdaq. SoundHound AI said integration work is already underway, with plans to bring the companies’ voice and digital engagement capabilities together for enterprise customers in the coming quarters.