According to The Wall Street Journal, Alphabet, is in advanced talks to acquire the NYC-based, Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz for about $23 billion, which would make this Google’s largest acquisition ever – if the negotiations don’t fall apart.
? ???????? ????: Google said to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 BILLION, marking its biggest acquisition ever. Here’s what you need to know… ?️ Wiz was founded in 2020 by the ex-Microsoft Azure security team (Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon C. & Roy… pic.twitter.com/uug1javRaW
— AGI | AI | Python| ML (@nwbotz) July 15, 2024
Wiz is a cloud security startup founded in January 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Roy Reznik, and Ami Luttwak. Rappaport is the CEO, Costica is VP of Product, Reznik is VP of Engineering, and Luttwak is CTO. The Wiz platform analyzes computing infrastructure for risk factors that could allow malicious invaders to take over cloud resources or extract data.
If the purchase is made, Assaf Rapaport will likely become a very senior figure in regard to Google’s cyber activities and an influential figure in Israeli politics. During the protest against the judicial reform in 2023, Rapaport announced in February 2023 that Wiz would withdraw its funds from Israel.
According to reports, Wiz decided to withdraw most of its funds from the accounts managed in Israel, leaving only the amount necessary to pay salaries, rent, and daily operations. It was reported at the time that Wiz was concerned about its investors’ reaction to the judicial reform which would increase the risk of their involvement in the Israeli economy.
With his announcement, Rappaport joined Eynat Guez, CEO and Co-Founder of Papaya Global, who in January 2023 announced that Papaya Global is withdrawing all its funds from Israeli banks in response to the reform, explaining: “This is a painful but necessary business step.”
יש רגעים שבהם אני רוצה לחבק את גברת קארמה. כל הכבוד ל @assaf_rappaport ולצוות של @wiz_io, הישג מדהים. https://t.co/FFJCQdFeO1
— Yaniv Golan (@yanivg) July 14, 2024
Google has been strategically expanding its cloud-focused cybersecurity operations. The company’s most significant recent acquisition in this space—and its second-largest purchase overall—was the approximately $5.4 billion deal for security firm Mandiant, completed two years ago.
Google’s parent company is considering the acquisition amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of major tech firms, including its dominant search business. The potential deal could strengthen Alphabet’s position in cloud computing, a crucial growth sector where it currently trails its competitors.
If it happens, this will be the largest exit in the history of Israeli high-tech by far, outshining the purchase of Mobileye by Intel for $15.3 billion back in March 2017. It will also be the largest acquisition in Google’s history, leaving behind the purchase of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2011.
A few days ago, Google abandoned its attempt to purchase the American developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service HubSpot for a reported $30 billion.
As of February 2024, Wiz employed about 900 people, with its sales and marketing personnel located in North America and Europe, and its engineering personnel based in Tel Aviv.
Becoming one of the richest men in the world would no doubt endow Rappaport the ability to infuse the anarchist movement in the country with unimaginable resources.
