What the sale of ThingWorx means for users & industrial IoT projects

[MA8731174]

Hello everyone,

I’d like to open up a discussion around the announcement that PTC is selling its industrial connectivity and IoT businesses — namely ThingWorx and Kepware — to TPG.

Thingworx sold 

As someone working in industrial connectivity, IoT and manufacturing systems (and many of you probably are as well), this raises a number of questions and potential implications. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Below are some of the issues I believe we should consider:

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 Potential positives

• The transaction is being promoted as a growth enabler: PTC says this move will allow the ThingWorx and Kepware businesses to “gain additional resources for growth” under TPG. PTC

• For users of ThingWorx this could mean heavier investment, new features, better connectivity, or stronger backing — depending on how TPG steers the business.

• The shift might allow PTC to focus more on its core “Intelligent Product Lifecycle” vision (CAD, PLM, ALM, SLM) — which could mean clearer strategy for the IoT/edge side of things rather than split focus. PTC

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 Potential concerns

• Change of ownership means potential uncertainty around support, licensing, roadmap and strategy for ThingWorx. If you’re deeply invested in the platform (as many manufacturing/automation companies are) this is non-trivial.

• If PTC changes its level of involvement or support for legacy versions, existing installations might face risks (e.g., maintenance, upgrades, compatibility).

• Customers may wonder: Will the platform roadmap shift? Will the integration with PTC’s other offerings change? Will pricing/licensing models change under TPG?

• For those using Wow-workflows of ThingWorx (backend services, mashups, connectivity) in production—downtime/risk mitigation becomes more important now.

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 Key questions for the community

• What do you see as the largest risk for companies using ThingWorx in their production/operations environment?

• What would be your desired reassurance or actions from PTC/TPG as a user of the platform? (e.g., guaranteed roadmap, backward compatibility, support commitments)

• Are there alternative platforms you’ve considered or are already evaluating in light of this announcement?

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I’d love to hear your viewpoint: whether you think this is mostly a positive acceleration or a cause for concern (or a bit of both). Please share your experiences, what you’re watching closely, and how you plan to respond (if at all) in your organisation.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Cheers!

[avillanueva]

Agree with all of your statements. I think its very early and we are watching for clues as to the direction. Certainly the product is not dead otherwise why would TPG buy it? They see value but might try to squeeze it to get more. This might be license increases. I would expect that there is some arraignment where PTC licenses product to resell to existing accounts who have purchased and integrated it into their ecosystems.  No one will admit to any potential downsides in a press release. All news is rosy. To me, seems like a cash out related to lagging sales/growth. I have no numbers to back this up however. 

[atiwari-4 · Accepted solution]

Hi MA8731174 and everyone in the community,

Appreciate your thoughts and questions.

I'd like to re-affirm that continuity of support, innovation, and delivering value to you are all top priorities. PTC and TPG are working to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible for customers. We expect to close the transaction in the first half of calendar year 2026, subject to customary conditions. Until then, it’s business as usual: roadmaps remain on track, deployments are moving forward, and our commitment to world-class service continues with your same trusted contacts. 

For Kepware and ThingWorx, you can count on even more innovation. We’re doubling down on the industrial IoT roadmap and are steadfast in launching differentiated technology that enables you to build and securely and efficiently scale your mission-critical IoT solutions. For example, fall 2025 brings Kepware to containers and AI capabilities to ThingWorx, including: 

• Kepware Edge 1.0, a new Linux-based platform that modernizes OT-IT architectures for improved scalability and security and lower total cost of ownership.
• ThingWorx 10.1, including enhanced debugging and early previews for an integrated AI assistant, MCP server support, and a modern industrial architecture support for MQTT. (See my 10.1 preview announcement here for feature details https://community.ptc.com/t5/IoT-Connectivity-Tips/ThingWorx-10-1-Private-Preview-now-available/ta-…)

Kepware and ThingWorx drive industrial innovation for over 7,000 manufacturers and 75% of the world’s top 100 manufacturers, and we believe this exciting development will help us be an even better partner to you. We remain committed to delivering meaningful business value for our customers through best-in-class industrial IoT and connectivity solutions. 

For any questions, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or Tech support. Additional details and FAQs are also available on our website here.

Cheers,

Ayush Tiwari

ThingWorx Product Management