Palo Alto Networks Buys Console for $500M, Leaving Serval as Standout IT Automation Startup

Palo Alto Networks paid $500 million in cash and stock for Console, a two-year-old startup that uses AI agents to automate routine IT help desk work, according to people familiar with the deal, and the sale is already being read as a reshaping of the independent field of AI IT service automation. The companies announced the acquisition on Tuesday without disclosing terms; Palo Alto Networks declined to comment on the price.