Dialpad and Ada Merge: What It Means for Contact Centers

The deal

On November 4, 2026, Dialpad and Ada announced a merger expected to close around November 12. The all-share transaction values Ada at approximately $430-600 million, down from $1.2 billion in 2021.

Craig Walker, Dialpad's CEO, will lead the combined company. Mike Murchison, Ada's CEO, becomes Chief AI Officer. The deal combines Dialpad's voice network and real-time speech models with Ada's AI agents that handle customer service workflows across voice, messaging, email and social channels.

What changes for existing customers

If you use Dialpad now, existing contracts, pricing and support continue unchanged. You will see Ada's AI capabilities added to the platform over time.

If you use Ada on another contact center platform like Genesys, Five9 or NICE CXone, ask how long that support will continue. When a platform acquires an AI tool, third-party integrations often get less attention.

Why this merger happened

Dialpad has analyzed 14 billion minutes of conversations and serves more than 50,000 business customers. Ada runs 500+ AI agents that handle complex tasks across channels. Combining them creates what the companies call an agentic platform: AI that can complete tasks, not just answer scripted questions.

The goal is to end the brittle handoff between AI and human agents. Today, when AI cannot handle a call, it transfers to a person who starts over. The merged platform keeps AI and humans on the same call with full context. The AI stays available to pull account details, policies or order history while the person talks.

Marc Andreessen said the combined company will have the most complete platform for AI agents that resolve the customer's problem instead of routing it.

What it means if you are choosing a contact center now

This merger shows the industry consolidating around integrated AI and voice, not AI tools bolted onto platforms built before 2020.

Every major contact center platform now has or is acquiring its own AI layer. Genesys has Cloud CX with built-in predictive routing, Five9 added Inference Studio, NICE bought AI companies in 2024 and 2025. Dialpad and Ada joining is part of that pattern.

For buyers, it means:

• Ask how AI and voice share context. Can an AI agent hand a call to a person and give them the conversation transcript, customer account and the attempted solutions? Or does the person see a blank screen and ask the customer to repeat everything?
• Check where the AI was built. Platforms that bought an AI company in the last two years are still integrating. Platforms that built AI on their own stack from the start have fewer seams.
• Do not assume AI = lower headcount. AI handles volume and repetitive questions. Complex calls still need people. A well-designed system gives your team better tools, not fewer jobs.
• Platform lock-in matters more now. When the AI layer is part of the platform, switching platforms later means retraining the AI and rebuilding workflows.

Empire sells Dialpad and every other platform

We are platform-neutral. We sell Dialpad, Genesys, Five9, NICE CXone, RingCentral, 8x8 and the others. We ask what your team actually does on calls, then match you to the platform that fits.

Buying through Empire costs less than buying direct. The carriers and platforms pay us, so you get better pricing and professional services at no extra charge. We handle the demo, quoting, setup, porting, training and support.

If you are comparing contact centers now, we can show you Dialpad with the new AI features, or Five9, Genesys, NICE or any other platform side by side. We set up demos this week and handle the install with zero downtime.

What happens next

The merger closes around November 12, 2026. Dialpad customers will see Ada's AI agents added to the platform in stages. Ada customers on other platforms should confirm their integration roadmap. Businesses shopping for a contact center should expect every platform to pitch native AI by the end of 2027.

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Three questions about the Dialpad and Ada merger

Does this change Dialpad pricing? Existing contracts stay the same. New pricing has not been announced.

Will Ada still work with Genesys and Five9? Ada currently integrates with rival platforms, but the companies have not said how long that will continue. If you use Ada on another platform, ask your account team.

Should I wait to buy Dialpad until the merger closes? No. The merger does not stop new sales, and you will get the new AI features when they roll out. Waiting costs you the time your current system is not working the way you need it to.