ServiceNow Jumps About 6% After Denying Decagon Acquisition Interest

ServiceNow (NOW) closed at $148.57 on October 15, 2026, up 6.1% on the day, after climbing about 5% in midday trading. The move followed a statement from Amit Zavery, the company's president, chief product officer and chief operating officer, who said: "To be clear, ServiceNow has no interest or intention of purchasing Decagon."

The denial answered a report, attributed to Business Insider, that Decagon had hired a bank to gauge purchase interest and had held early talks with ServiceNow and other companies. Zavery added that the company's acquisition approach is unchanged, that it remains an organic growth company first, and that it does not see major strategic gaps requiring large-scale acquisitions at this time. The company's release is dated October 13, while 24/7 Wall St. places the denial on October 14.

The reasons for the rally are not settled. 24/7 Wall St. linked the 5% midday gain to the denial and reported that Salesforce (CRM) rose 4% to $245.39 while Palantir (PLTR) fell 0.9% to $199.07. Yahoo Finance, citing a 5.1% afternoon gain, instead pointed to a ServiceNow release on EmployeeWorks, a no-code tool for building AI agents, and to a software rebound as Treasury yields fell after a sharp AI-driven sell-off, without mentioning Decagon. A 24/7 Wall St. data card also reported a 6.9% after-hours surge to $149.15 worth roughly $10 billion. That figure should be treated with caution: $149.15 is only slightly above the $148.57 regular-session close, so it appears to restate the day's gain rather than a separate evening jump.

The stock is volatile, with 37 moves greater than 5% over the past year and a price about 22.3% below its October 2025 high of $189.26. Investors may watch for further Decagon reports, since the original report said Decagon was also speaking with other possible buyers.