UPDATE
Jul 23, 2024 7:06 AM CDT
Thanks, but no thanks. That's the message cybersecurity startup Wiz delivered to Google as it rejected a $23 billion takeover offer, reports CNBC. It would have been Google's biggest acquisition ever. "Saying no to such humbling offers is tough," Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport wrote in a memo to employees, adding that "we have chosen to continue on our path to building Wiz." The company is now planning for an initial public offering, though the Wall Street Journal reports that it's possible a Google deal could yet be revived.
Jul 15, 2024 6:35 AM CDT
The parent company of Google is poised to make its biggest acquisition yet, by a lot. Alphabet is deep in talks to buy the cybersecurity startup Wiz for about $23 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal. The deal would nearly double Google's previous largest purchase—its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility in 2012—suggesting how much Alphabet wants to beef up its cloud-computing arm. The company is currently running a distant third to rivals Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, per the New York Times.
Wiz, based in New York, provides "cloud-based cybersecurity solutions with real-time threat detection and responses powered by artificial intelligence," per Reuters. It already works with Amazon and Microsoft and counts Morgan Stanley and DocuSign among its customers. The company has soared in value under CEO Assaf Rappaport since its founding in 2020, with its most recent valuation at $20 billion, reports CNBC. All of the stories note that the deal, which comes at a time of increased federal scrutiny of tech giants, could still fall apart. (More Google stories.)
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uBlock 
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Ghostery 
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