Zendesk to acquire Forethought in agentic AI expansion

Zendesk has agreed to buy AI agent platform Forethought in what it calls its largest proposed acquisition in almost two decades, as the customer service software provider expands its automation offering.

The deal is set out in a definitive agreement. Zendesk said the transaction would broaden its AI agent capabilities across its Resolution Platform and make them available across service platforms and channels.

Zendesk framed the move as a response to changing customer service operations, and said it expects autonomous AI to handle more service interactions than humans in 2026.

Forethought builds AI agents for customer support and related workflows. Zendesk sells support, ticketing and customer experience tools to businesses, with a growing emphasis on automation.

Deal rationale

Zendesk said its AI agents already resolve more than 80% of interactions end-to-end across its customer base, with human and automated agents working together. It also highlighted its Resolution Learning Loop, which it said learns from customer conversations without manual retraining.

Forethought's software would extend that approach, Zendesk said, moving the combined offering toward self-learning AI agents that generate and execute complex workflows across channels and platforms.

"The era of simply managing conversations is over. The future of customer experience requires agentic capabilities built for definitive resolution," said Tom Eggemeier, Chief Executive Officer of Zendesk.

"Forethought advanced capabilities perfectly align with our vision for agentic service. Together, we will be scaling self-improving AI that learns from every interaction. But technology is just the means. Resolution is our identity, and loyalty is the outcome. This proposed acquisition will ensure our customers have the absolute best tools to drive measurable growth in the AI era," Eggemeier said.

Forethought's leadership described the agreement as an opportunity to expand distribution and speed product development.

"Forethought was founded on the belief that AI will transform customer experience for every business," said Sami Ghoche, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Forethought.

"Joining Zendesk is the fastest way to accelerate that mission. With Zendesk's platform, resources, and global reach, we will bring our technology to many more organisations around the world, move faster on innovation, and continue pushing the boundaries of what AI can do in customer experience. For our customers, this means the same innovative products and teams they trust today will be strengthened by the scale, platform, and investment of Zendesk," Ghoche said.

Product scope

Zendesk said it plans to offer specialised AI agents for different settings, including business-to-business, business-to-consumer and employee support. The work would combine Zendesk AI Agents, Unleash and Forethought products.

Zendesk also outlined "self-improving" agents linked to its Resolution Learning Loop, which it said would detect workflow gaps, generate new procedures and test optimisations before deployment.

Another focus is autonomous workflow execution. Zendesk said AI agents would design and execute multi-step procedures across customer journeys.

Zendesk also plans native automation for voice channels, where it expects AI agents to resolve high-volume and complex interactions end-to-end. It also outlined broader reach into enterprise systems, including scenarios where APIs are not available, which it described as "computer use".

Customers and platform access

Forethought customers will continue to receive service and product updates, according to Zendesk. Zendesk customers would gain access to expanded AI features and a more unified experience.

New customers will also be able to adopt the Forethought product on a standalone basis without using the Zendesk platform, the company said.

Zendesk said the transaction would speed up its product roadmap by more than a year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Market reaction

Gainsight, which Zendesk said is a customer of both firms, welcomed the proposed acquisition and linked it to broader automation plans in customer success operations.

"To deliver a world-class customer experience today, service must be autonomous and deeply integrated. As a leader in customer success, we believe in the power of agentic AI to treat every customer like your best: Zendesk's proposed acquisition of Forethought validates that the future of support is self-improving. For Gainsight, this deal will provide the sophisticated, cross-platform automation we need to ensure every customer interaction is intelligent, seamless, and aligned with our broader mission for driving retention for our customers," added Chuck Ganapathi, CEO of Gainsight, a customer of both Zendesk and Forethought.

Industry analyst Keith Kirkpatrick, Vice President and Research Director at The Futurum Group, said the deal reflected confidence in customer readiness for agentic AI.

"Zendesk is making a bold statement that agentic AI will define the next era of customer experience," Kirkpatrick said.

"At a time when many software companies are cautious or still in pilot mode, this investment reflects strong confidence in both the technology and the market's readiness," he added.

Zendesk said the transaction is expected to close by the end of March, subject to customary closing requirements and regulatory approvals.