Google's $32B Wiz Acquisition 2026: EU Approves Largest Cybersecurity Deal

What is the Google-Wiz Acquisition?

The European Union has granted unconditional antitrust approval for Google's landmark $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity startup Wiz, marking the largest cybersecurity deal in history and Google's most expensive purchase ever. This monumental transaction, announced in March 2025 and cleared by U.S. authorities in November 2025, received final EU approval on February 10, 2026, allowing Alphabet's Google to significantly bolster its cloud security capabilities in the competitive AI era.

Background: The Cloud Security Landscape

Wiz, founded in January 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Roy Reznik, and Ami Luttwak, has rapidly emerged as a cloud security leader with expected revenue of $1 billion in 2026. The New York-based company provides agentless security scanning across major cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and Kubernetes environments. Wiz serves 45% of Fortune 100 companies, including major clients like Morgan Stanley, BMW, and LVMH, and has discovered significant cloud vulnerabilities including ChaosDB in Azure Cosmos DB.

Google's move comes as the company trails behind Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud infrastructure market, holding approximately 11-13% market share compared to AWS's 30-32% and Azure's 20-23%. The acquisition represents a strategic effort to enhance Google Cloud's security offerings and compete more effectively in the enterprise cloud computing market.

EU Regulatory Approval Details

Why the EU Approved the Deal

EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera stated that the Commission's assessment confirmed the acquisition would not harm competition in Europe. 'Google trails Amazon and Microsoft in cloud infrastructure market share. Our assessment confirmed that customers retain sufficient alternatives and can easily switch providers,' Ribera explained in the official announcement.

The European Commission determined three key factors in its approval:

Google remains a distant third in cloud infrastructure market share
Customers maintain credible alternative security providers
Data acquired through Wiz is not commercially sensitive and accessible to competitors

Regulatory Process and Timeline

The EU's unconditional approval follows a thorough market investigation that began after Google formally notified the Commission in December 2025. The deal had already received clearance from U.S. antitrust authorities in November 2025, avoiding the more extensive four-month investigation that could have delayed the transaction.

Strategic Implications for Google Cloud

Enhanced Security Capabilities

The acquisition will integrate Wiz's comprehensive cloud security platform into Google Cloud's existing security portfolio. Wiz's technology provides unified visibility across all cloud layers, scanning infrastructure, code, CI/CD pipelines, and runtime threats. This integration will significantly strengthen Google's multi-cloud security offerings and provide enterprise customers with enhanced protection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Competitive Positioning Against AWS and Azure

With this acquisition, Google aims to close the security gap with its larger competitors. Wiz's platform works across all major cloud providers, which could help Google attract customers using multi-cloud strategies. The deal also brings Wiz's rapidly growing patent portfolio, which expanded over 400% between 2022-2025, providing Google with fresh innovation momentum in cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP).

Market Impact and Industry Response

Cloud Security Market Dynamics

The $32 billion acquisition represents one of eight cybersecurity M&A deals exceeding $1 billion in 2025. The cloud security market has experienced explosive growth as businesses increasingly migrate to cloud environments, with the global cloud infrastructure market reaching approximately $400 billion in 2025 and projected to continue growing at 25% annually.

Customer Concerns and Commitments

Some industry observers expressed concerns about potential erosion of Wiz's neutrality under Google Cloud ownership. However, Google has committed to maintaining Wiz's products across all major cloud platforms. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian stated, 'The combined company will help customers create stronger cloud security foundations and lower security costs across on-premises and multi-cloud environments.'

Future Outlook and Industry Trends

The approval of this landmark deal signals continued consolidation in the cybersecurity sector as major technology companies seek to enhance their security capabilities. The acquisition positions Google more competitively in the AI-driven cloud services market, where security has become a critical differentiator for enterprise customers.

Industry analysts predict that the integration of Wiz's technology will accelerate Google's growth in the enterprise cloud market, potentially helping the company gain market share against AWS and Azure over the next 2-3 years. The deal also reflects broader trends in technology mergers and acquisitions where established companies acquire innovative startups to accelerate their competitive positioning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Wiz and what does it do?

Wiz is a cloud security company founded in 2020 that provides agentless security scanning across major cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. The platform identifies security risks in cloud infrastructure and applications.

How much did Google pay for Wiz?

Google paid $32 billion in cash for Wiz, making it the largest cybersecurity acquisition in history and Google's most expensive purchase ever.

Why did the EU approve the acquisition?

The EU approved the deal because Google trails Amazon and Microsoft in cloud market share, customers have credible alternatives, and the data acquired through Wiz is not commercially sensitive.

When was the acquisition announced and approved?

Google announced the acquisition in March 2025, received U.S. approval in November 2025, and obtained EU approval on February 10, 2026.

How will this affect Google's cloud market position?

The acquisition is expected to strengthen Google Cloud's security offerings and help the company compete more effectively against AWS and Azure in the enterprise cloud market.

Sources

Reuters: Google Secures EU Antitrust Approval for $32 Billion Wiz Acquisition

U.S. News: Google's $32B Wiz Acquisition Gets EU Approval

Wikipedia: Wiz, Inc.

SecurityWeek: EU Unconditionally Approves Google's $32B Acquisition of Wiz