Google inks $32 billion deal to buy security firm Wiz even as DOJ seeks breakup

Google today announced a $32 billion deal to buy Wiz, an Israeli cloud security company that would become part of Google's cloud division if the merger is completed. The all-cash deal requires regulatory approval at a time when the Department of Justice is trying to break up Google by forcing it to sell the Chrome browser after a judge ruled that Google illegally maintained a monopoly. Google is also awaiting a verdict in a separate ad-tech monopoly case brought by the US government. Google's announcement this morning said that "Wiz's products will continue to work and be available across all major clouds, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud platforms." Google parent Alphabet nearly struck a $23 billion deal for Wiz in July 2024, but the talks fell apart. At the time, Wiz and some investors reportedly worried the proposed merger could be stuck in regulatory limbo for over a year and might not be approved by the government. The sides reportedly also didn' ... Read full article.