https://medium.com/@finkconsulting/attack-of-the-m-a-robots-automating-the-acquisition-process-c3f6a7f51764

Technology entered the M&A world as a way to make our lives easier.

The advent of computerized spreadsheets and word processing in the late 1970s and early 1980s made modeling less difficult and documents more accurate (and probably longer). Pencil and paper and literal cut-and-paste of documents became obsolescent. Database searches were slower to penetrate the market but ultimately became part of the due diligence process. New communications tools, like fax machines, added to the development of the 24 hour workday for M&A professionals.