You can read the full Q&A below, edited and condensed for clarity.įortune : What’s the value of taking AVG private instead of, say, doing a reverse merger and taking Avast public? Kovacs also told Fortune that, if shareholders and regulators approve the deal (expected to close in the fall), he plans to step down at least six months after helping manage the integration of the two firms. (He said the joint company intends to retain both brands-Avast and AVG-for different markets.) The CEO discussed consolidation in the computer security market, the expansion beyond antivirus software to maintain relevance, a planned reorganization of the combined companies, and the fate of both names under a single roof.

Avast said it planned to finance the acquisition through cash on hand and debt financing provided by lenders Credit Suisse Securities (CSGKF), Jefferies, and UBS (UBS) Investment Bank.įortune spoke to Gary Kovacs, chief executive at AVG, about the pending deal. Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.ĪVG’s board has already blessed the deal, which involves Avast paying cash for the rival firm. The most recent data from software-maker OPSWAT indicates that Avast’s 15% market share plus AVG’s 5% would edge out Microsoft’s 15.9% (a figure that excludes Windows Defender, which is included in Microsoft Windows). The combined company would create the world’s biggest antivirus software firm by number of active users, exceeding even Microsoft’s (MSFT) market share of antivirus technology on consumer devices.

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