SoftBank in talks to buy security company Allied Universal

In short: SoftBank is in early talks to buy Allied Universal, a large private security company, in a deal that could be worth about $30bn including debt.

What happened

SoftBank is discussing a possible purchase of Allied Universal, which the Financial Times calls the world’s largest private security group. Allied Universal also owns G4S, a major security company in the UK.

People familiar with the talks said the deal could value Allied at close to $30bn, including debt. The discussions are at an early stage, and a final agreement is not guaranteed.

SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, has been putting more money into robotics and AI. The report says SoftBank has a $5.4bn agreement to buy ABB Robotics, which is still waiting for regulatory approval in China. SoftBank is also linked to other AI plans, including a big investment in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

Allied Universal says it operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 770,000 people. It is backed by investors including Warburg Pincus and Canadian pension fund La Caisse, and it has explored a stock market listing in the past.

Why it matters

This shows how some investors are trying to connect AI and robots to real world, hands-on services like security. If SoftBank buys Allied, it could eventually test ideas like using autonomous robots for some security work (autonomous means a machine that can do tasks on its own, like a self-driving car but for a building). For regular people, the long-term impact could show up in how offices, shopping centres, and data centres are monitored, and in what kinds of security jobs are available.

Source: Financial Times