The decision was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of McGraw-Hill and Cengage. The Termination Agreement foresees no payment of a break fee on either side.
In a statement, Simon Allen, CEO of McGraw-Hill said: "Because the required divestitures would have made the merger uneconomical, McGraw-Hill and Cengage have decided to terminate the merger agreement. This will allow each of us to focus on our respective stand-alone strategies for the benefit of our owners, employees, customers and other stakeholders. I want to express my deep appreciation for the efforts and incredible commitment demonstrated by McGraw-Hill’s employees over the past year and particularly in recent weeks as they have worked tirelessly to help educators make the transition to online learning.”