German software company to acquire Utah’s Qualtrics for $8B

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith spoke in the opening session of the 2018 Silicon Slopes Tech Summit at the Salt Lake Convention Center in January. German software company SAP announced Sunday that it will acquire Qualtrics International Inc., a Provo-based customer survey business considered one of the state’s highest profile and most successful technology firms, for $8 billion in cash.

CEO Ryan Smith will continue to lead Qualtrics, and it plans to maintain headquarters in Provo and Seattle, according to a statement from the two firms describing their agreement.

It said the boards of directors of both companies and Qualtrics' shareholders have…