HPE's Juniper buy faces scrutiny
HPE’s proposed $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks is running into antitrust hurdles, complicating networking and wireless strategy work for incumbents and advisors. Regulatory friction could reshape deal timelines and integration planning in networking M&A. (x.com)
U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts pressed parties at a March 23, 2026 Tunney Act hearing, saying he’s skeptical the DOJ‑HPE settlement cures the alleged competitive harms and that he’ll rule “as quickly as possible.” (bloomberg.com). (bloomberg.com) The Justice Department originally sued to block HPE’s proposed $14 billion takeover on Jan. 30, 2025, alleging the transaction would reduce competition in enterprise wireless LAN markets. (justice.gov). (justice.gov) DOJ’s June 28, 2025 consent agreement required HPE to divest its Instant On wireless business and for Juniper to license its Mist AIOps source code through a competitive process as conditions to allow the transaction to proceed. (networkworld.com). (networkworld.com) A coalition of 13 state attorneys general plus the District of Columbia filed to intervene on Oct. 14, 2025 — led by Colorado AG Phil Weiser and joined by California AG Rob Bonta and others — alleging the DOJ settlement was “tainted” and seeking a full Tunney Act review. (duanemorris.com). (duanemorris.com) HPE completed the all‑cash, $40.00‑per‑share closing of Juniper on July 2, 2025 and announced it would combine Juniper with its Aruba business into a new AI‑centric HPE Networking unit. (siliconangle.com). (siliconangle.com) Judge Pitts noted that overturning a Tunney Act settlement would be unprecedented — past Tunney Act reviews have not resulted in reversal — leaving open remedies the court could order even though the acquisition has closed. (bloomberg.com). (bloomberg.com)
