Complex sentence: On December 16,2004, VERITAS and Symantec announced their plans for a merger in a deal valued at $13.5 billion, it was the largest announced software industry merger to date.
Split into simpler sentences: On December 16,2004, VERITAS and Symantec announced their plans for a merger in a deal valued at $13.5 billion. It was the largest announced software industry merger to date.