알파경제 - Google to Acquire Cybersecurity Startup Wiz for $32 Billion

Photo = Yonhap news

[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Google has announced that it will acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for $32 billion (₩46.5 trillion), making it the largest acquisition in the company's history.


In a press release, Google stated that the acquisition agreement has been signed and that the payment will be made entirely in cash. Once the transaction is finalized, Wiz will join Google Cloud, the company's cloud computing division.


This deal surpasses Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility in 2012 by 2.5 times, making it the largest acquisition since Google's founding.


Google explained the motivation behind the acquisition, saying, "This investment in Google Cloud accelerates two major trends in the AI era—enhanced cloud security and the ability to leverage multi-cloud environments."


About Wiz
 

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in New York, Wiz provides cloud security services that detect and eliminate security risks in large-scale cloud-stored data. At the end of last year, Wiz was valued at $16 billion, meaning Google's acquisition price is double that valuation. The final deal also represents a 40% increase ($9 billion more) compared to the $23 billion offer Google initially considered last year.

 

Strategic Impact

Wiz counts Amazon, Microsoft (MS), and other major cloud companies among its clients. By integrating Wiz’s security technology, Google aims to strengthen its cloud services, closing the competitive gap with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)