Google's $23 Billion Bet on Wiz: Bolstering Cloud-Computing with Advanced Cybersecurity Tools

New York City, New York, USA United States of America
Google aims to improve its cloud-computing division and gain a competitive edge in the market by acquiring Wiz.
Google is in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $23 billion.
Notable customers include BMW, Slack, Salesforce, Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
Regulatory scrutiny is expected but Google believes the benefits outweigh potential challenges.
Wiz, founded in March 2020, has seen explosive growth with 40% of Fortune 100 companies as its clients.
Google's $23 Billion Bet on Wiz: Bolstering Cloud-Computing with Advanced Cybersecurity Tools

Google, the tech giant known for its search engine and various consumer internet services, is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $23 billion. This potential deal would mark Google's largest acquisition to date and a significant investment in bolstering its cloud-computing business.

Wiz, founded by Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik in March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, has seen explosive growth with 40% of Fortune 100 companies as its clients. Notable customers include BMW, Slack, Salesforce, and major cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Google's parent company Alphabet is eager to improve its cloud-computing division as it has faced competition from industry leaders such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. The acquisition of Wiz would provide Google with advanced cybersecurity tools for its clients and potentially help the company gain a competitive edge in the market.

Despite regulatory scrutiny, Google is reportedly willing to fight for this acquisition. The Biden administration has taken a hard line against consolidation in tech and other industries, but Google may believe that the benefits of acquiring Wiz outweigh any potential challenges from regulators.

The founders of Wiz have previously held notable roles in the industry. Assaf Rappaport was previously General Manager of R&D at Microsoft Israel, while Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik filled various roles at Adallom before its acquisition by Microsoft in 2015.

The deal is expected to bring significant financial gains for the founders. Each holds an estimated 10% of the company and will pay a capital tax of 25% and an additional surtax of 3%, potentially contributing over $640 million each in taxes for the Israeli government.

Google's acquisition talks with Wiz come after its purchase of cybersecurity firm Mandiant for $5.4 billion earlier this year. The company is also reportedly considering acquiring Israeli-founded startup Gem Security for a reported $350 million and Tel Aviv startup Rafft for an undisclosed sum.

The potential acquisition of Wiz could have significant implications for the cybersecurity industry and the tech landscape as a whole. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Regulatory approval is not guaranteed.
  • The deal is still under negotiation and may not be finalized.

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Google is close to making its biggest acquisition ever

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Matt Egan, Monday, 15 July 2024 16:23
  • Unique Points
    • Google's parent company Alphabet is in advanced discussions to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for roughly $23 billion.
    • Discussions between Google and Wiz began after the startup raised $1 billion from venture capital investors earlier this year.
    • Wiz was founded by Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica and Roy Reznik in March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • Forty percent of Fortune 100 companies are Wiz's clients.
    • Notable customers include BMW, Slack and Salesforce. Wiz works with major cloud companies including Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Google is reportedly planning its biggest startup acquisition ever

The Verge Wes Davis Monday, 15 July 2024 02:39
  • Unique Points
    • Google is planning its biggest startup acquisition ever, reportedly spending $23 billion to buy cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz.
    • Wiz offers 'siloed security tools and scanners' for the enterprise space.
    • The acquisition could help solidify Google's reputation as a secure cloud platform.
    • Google Cloud boss Thomas Kurian is driving the acquisition attempt.
  • Accuracy
    • ,
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The author makes an appeal to authority by mentioning reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that the acquisition 'feels particularly targeted' at Microsoft and that it could help solidify Google's reputation as a secure cloud platform.
    • Google is in talks to buy the New York City-based cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz. (The Wall Street Journal)
    • The deal looks likely, but it could fall through and risks triggering reviews from US regulators. (The New York Times)
    • Google Cloud boss Thomas Kurian has been the driving force behind the acquisition attempt. (The New York Times)
    • It could help solidify Google’s reputation as a secure cloud platform. (author's statement)
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Google said nearing record-breaking $23 billion buy of Israeli-founded cyber startup

The Times of Israel Tuesday, 16 July 2024 03:43
  • Unique Points
    • Google is in advanced talks to purchase Israeli-founded cybersecurity startup Wiz for a record-breaking $23 billion.
    • Wiz was co-founded by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak and Roy Reznik in early 2020.
    • The company has customers including 40% of the Fortune 100 companies such as Slack, Mars, BMW, DocuSign, Plaid and Agoda.
    • After its latest private funding round in May 2024, Wiz was valued at $12 billion.
    • Rappaport stated that '2024 is the year of consolidation' for Wiz and the industry at large.
    • Wiz acquired Israeli cyber startup Gem Security for a reported $350 million in 2024 and bought Tel Aviv startup Rafft for an undisclosed sum at the end of 2023.
    • Wiz was established in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic gained pace, sending enterprises and workers online and spurring a migration to cloud-based servers.
    • The founders of Wiz were added to Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people earlier in 2024.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Wiz founders to net over $2 billion each in Google deal

Calcalistech Unknown CTech Monday, 15 July 2024 08:48
  • Unique Points
    • Wiz founders Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik each hold an estimated 10% of the company.
    • Each founder is an Israel resident and will pay a capital tax of 25% and an additional surtax of 3%.
    • The sale could bring in over $600 million in taxes for the Israeli government.
    • Assaf Rappaport was previously General Manager of R&D at Microsoft Israel, and co-founders have filled various roles at Adallom.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Google Close to Its Biggest Acquisition Ever, Despite Antitrust Scrutiny

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Nico Grant, Sunday, 14 July 2024 22:46
  • Unique Points
    • Google may be willing to fight regulatory scrutiny to complete the acquisition and beef up its cloud-computing division.
    • Google Cloud sales have grown but it has struggled to compete with similar services from Microsoft and Amazon.
  • Accuracy
    • Discussions between Google and Wiz began after the startup raised $1 billion from venture capital investors earlier this year.
    • Google Cloud is central to Alphabet’s efforts to diversify revenue beyond search advertising and compete with Microsoft and Amazon in the cloud computing market.
    • Wiz was founded by Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica and Roy Reznik in March 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • Forty percent of Fortune 100 companies are Wiz’s clients.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy as the authors cite 'three people with knowledge of the discussions' without providing any evidence or context about these individuals' expertise or credibility. Additionally, there is a use of inflammatory rhetoric in stating that Google is 'nearing its largest-ever acquisition' and that it is 'willing to fight to beef up its cloud-computing division,' which could be perceived as biased language.
    • Google is in talks to buy Wiz, a New York-based cybersecurity start-up, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions, who were not authorized to discuss them.
    • Google was sued by the Justice Department in two separate antitrust cases, one targeting its ubiquitous search engine and another seeking to break up its digital advertising-technology business.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication