Google nears $23bn acquisition of Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is nearing the completion of its largest acquisition to date, a $23 billion agreement to acquire Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. 

The paper stated that Google is in “advanced discussions” to acquire Wiz, a New York-based company, established in early 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, and Roy Reznik, the same team behind Adallom, which Microsoft acquired for $320 million in 2015.

This transaction would not only double Alphabet’s largest previous acquisition, which is the $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola in 2012, but also mark the largest acquisition ever of an Israeli tech firm.

The technology developed by Wiz creates a “normalising layer between cloud environments,” enabling businesses to promptly detect and resolve significant security threats across their cloud infrastructure.

According to the New York Times, the acquisition appears to be driven by Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, suggesting that it is part of a broader strategy to bolster Google’s reputation as a secure cloud platform provider.

This move comes at a time where Microsoft, a competitor, has encountered notable security breaches. Therefore, this could allow Google to position itself as a more secure option within the market for cloud computing services, the report added.

The acquisition also comes after Google announced in April that it had dismissed 28 employees after some staff members had participated in protests against the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government.

Ritchie Torres, a member of the US House of Representatives, described the deal as “a $23 billion middle finger to the BDS movement against the Jewish State.” The politician, who has been outspoken in his support for Israel, added: “The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction movement should itself be boycotted, divested, and sanctioned.”

Google is poised to acquire an Israeli cyber startup known as Wiz for $23 billion. Google’s largest acquisition in history is not only a vote of confidence in Israel. It is a $23 billion middle finger to the BDS movement against the Jewish State.

The Boycott, Divestment, and… pic.twitter.com/ZAHBjf8MuR

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 15, 2024

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since 7 October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

More than 38,664 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 89,097 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.

READ: UN Palestine Agency rejects Israel smear campaign on Google