Deal Timeline

Plotted by close date where disclosed, otherwise announcement. Select any marker to jump to the deal entry.

The Rationale That Repeats.

Three patterns show up across Block's deal book — what the team buys, how it pays, and how it integrates. The patterns are the throughline; the deals below are the evidence.

01
Acquisition criteria
Ecosystem-extending, not bolt-on.
Block buys to plug whole new capabilities into its two core ecosystems - Square for sellers and Cash App for consumers. Afterpay added BNPL across both, Weebly added online commerce to the Seller ecosystem, and Credit Karma Tax added tax filing to Cash App.
Afterpay LimitedWeeblyTIDAL (majority interest)Credit Karma Tax (relaunched as Cash App Taxes)
02
Capital deployment
Stock-funded for the marquee deal, cash for tuck-ins.
Block's largest acquisition, Afterpay, was paid entirely in stock (113.4 million Class A shares, $13.9 billion accounting value), while smaller deals like Weebly mixed cash and stock and the sub-material tuck-ins were funded out of operating cash.
Afterpay LimitedWeeblyTIDAL (majority interest)Credit Karma Tax (relaunched as Cash App Taxes)
03
Integration approach
New verticals beyond payments.
Beyond its payments core, Block has used M&A to enter adjacent missions - a majority stake in music platform TIDAL to serve artists, and the free Credit Karma Tax product (relaunched as Cash App Taxes) to deepen consumer engagement in Cash App.
Afterpay LimitedWeeblyTIDAL (majority interest)Credit Karma Tax (relaunched as Cash App Taxes)

The Full Deal Book

4 acquisitions. Each entry carries the deal value, financing structure, target revenue, executive commentary, and the original SEC filing — the evidence behind the patterns above.

01 Afterpay Limited · Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia (ASX: APT); global BNPL operations $29B
Announced Aug 2021 Closed Jan 2022 all stock
buy now pay later (BNPL)installment paymentsmerchant networkconsumer shopping discovery

Afterpay is a pioneering global 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) platform that lets retail merchants offer customers the ability to buy goods and services and split purchases across four interest-free installments. At the end of 2021 Afterpay had more than 122,000 annual active merchants and more than 19 million annual active consumers, and delivered $19.7 billion in GMV for full-year 2021, up 74% year over year. approximately US$29 billion implied at announcement (all-stock); final accounting consideration of $13.9 billion (113,387,895 Class A shares) at close.

Why it was attractive
  • Afterpay brought a fast-growing global BNPL network of 122
  • 000+ merchants and 19M+ consumers that could be connected across Square's Seller ecosystem and Cash App's consumer base
Square and Afterpay have a shared purpose. We built our business to make the financial system more fair, accessible, and inclusive, and Afterpay has built a trusted brand aligned with those principles. Together, we can better connect our Cash App and Seller ecosystems to deliver even more compelling products and services for merchants and consumers, putting the power back in their hands.Jack Dorsey — Co-Founder and CEO, Square
Buy now, pay later has been a powerful growth tool for sellers globally. We are thrilled to not only add this product to our Seller ecosystem, but to do it with a trusted and innovative team.Alyssa Henry — Lead of Square's Seller business
Post-close · earnings-call commentary

Block Q4 2021 earnings call (Feb 2022): "We completed the acquisition of Afterpay on January 31, 2022. Since we announced the transaction in early August, our teams have been focused on closing the transaction and planning for the sizable integration of our two companies... on day one, we executed on a meaningful integration... we believe Afterpay will accelerate the connections between our Square and Cash ecosystems."

02 Weebly, Inc. · United States (San Francisco-based); global customer base $272.5M
Closed May 2018 combination
website buildingonline store / e-commercedomain registrationweb hosting

Weebly is a technology company that offers customers website hosting and domain name registration solutions, giving sellers tools to build a professional website or online store with integrated shipping, inventory management, and marketing. At the time of acquisition Weebly had millions of customers and more than 625,000 paid subscribers. $272.5 million total consideration ($132.4 million cash plus 2,418,271 Class A shares valued at $140.1 million).

Why it was attractive
  • Weebly added recurring subscription revenue and a globally distributed base of small-business website customers complementary to Square's seller tools
On May 31, 2018, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of Weebly, a technology company that offers customers website hosting and domain name registration solutions. The acquisition of Weebly enables the Company to combine Weebly's web presence tools with the Company's in-person and online offerings to create a cohesive solution for sellers to start or grow an omnichannel business.Square — Inc. FY2018 10-K, Note 7 - Acquisitions
03 TIDAL (majority interest) · Global music and entertainment platform $233.2M
Closed Apr 2021 combination
music streamingartist toolsfan/artist engagementcontent distribution

TIDAL is a global music and entertainment platform that brings fans and artists together through music, content, and experiences, offering a catalog of more than 80 million songs and 350,000 high-quality videos. Block acquired a majority ownership interest, expanding its purpose of economic empowerment to artists. $233.2 million consideration for a majority ownership interest.

Why it was attractive
  • TIDAL gave Block a foothold in artist/creator economic empowerment
  • a new vertical adjacent to its seller and consumer ecosystems
In the second quarter of 2021, we completed the acquisition of a majority ownership interest in TIDAL, a global music and entertainment platform that expands our purpose of economic empowerment to artists. TIDAL offers an extensive catalog of more than 80 million songs and 350,000 high-quality videos.Block — Inc. FY2021 10-K, Item 1 Business
Post-close · earnings-call commentary

Jack Dorsey, Block Q4 2021 earnings call (Feb 2022): "We added new ecosystems with TIDAL to serve artists and TBD to serve Bitcoin developers."

04 Credit Karma Tax (relaunched as Cash App Taxes) · United States Not disclosed
Closed Oct 2020
individual tax preparationfree mobile-first tax filing

Credit Karma Tax is a free, mobile-first tax filing product for individuals. Acquired in the fourth quarter of 2020, it added a tax filing product to Cash App's ecosystem; Block relaunched it as Cash App Taxes in the first quarter of 2021.

Why it was attractive
  • Added a free
  • high-engagement tax-filing product to draw consumers deeper into the Cash App ecosystem
In the fourth quarter of 2020, we acquired Credit Karma Tax, which adds a tax filing product for individuals to Cash App's ecosystem. Credit Karma Tax provides a seamless, mobile-first solution for individuals to file their taxes for free.Square — Inc. FY2020 10-K, Item 1 Business

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