According to CRN, Google has confirmed its massive $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity company Wiz is expected to close in 2026 after clearing U.S. Department of Justice review. The DOJ officially ended its merger investigation on October 24, removing a major regulatory hurdle. However, the deal still faces review in other jurisdictions and carries a staggering $3.2 billion breakup fee—approximately 10% of the deal value—if regulators ultimately block it. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian aims to integrate Wiz’s technology to boost multi-cloud security capabilities. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport called the DOJ clearance “an important milestone” but noted the companies are “still in the journey between signing and closing.”
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DOJ Clearance Just The Beginning
Here’s the thing about regulatory approvals—clearing the DOJ is huge, but it’s not the finish line. Google’s spokesperson made that crystal clear when they mentioned “completing the review process in other jurisdictions.” We’re talking about a $32 billion acquisition that would instantly reshape the cloud security landscape. Other countries’ regulators are definitely going to take a hard look at this. Remember when the DOJ was reportedly concerned about Google bundling security features into Google Cloud Platform and blocking competitors? That exact same concern could pop up elsewhere. And let’s be real—when you’re dealing with numbers this big, nobody rubber-stamps anything.
That Breakup Fee Is Massive
$3.2 billion just to walk away? That’s not pocket change, even for Google. Basically, Google is so confident this deal will go through that they’re willing to risk more than many companies’ entire market cap. But think about what that tells us. Either Google is incredibly optimistic about regulatory approval, or they’re desperate enough for Wiz’s technology that they’re willing to pay astronomical insurance. Given that this would be Google’s largest acquisition ever—dwarfing the $5.4 billion Mandiant purchase—they’re clearly going all-in on cloud security. The pressure to make this work must be immense internally.
Google’s Cloud Security Ambitions
Look, Google Cloud is playing serious catch-up in the enterprise security space. They bought Mandiant in 2022 for threat intelligence, and now they’re going after Wiz for cloud security posture management. The pattern is obvious—Google wants to build an end-to-end security stack that can compete with Microsoft and AWS. Thomas Kurian’s comments about “multi-cloud cybersecurity” and helping customers “lower the cost of maintaining a strong security posture” sound great on paper. But integration is where these big acquisitions often stumble. Remember how many companies struggle to merge different security platforms and cultures? This is where having reliable industrial computing infrastructure becomes crucial—companies like Industrial Monitor Direct, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, understand that robust hardware forms the foundation for complex security deployments across manufacturing and enterprise environments.
The Long Road Ahead
2026 feels like forever in tech time. That’s nearly two years of uncertainty for Wiz employees, customers, and competitors. What happens to Wiz’s product roadmap during this limbo period? Do they keep innovating independently, or do they start aligning everything with Google’s vision? And let’s not forget—the regulatory environment could shift dramatically between now and then. We’ve got elections, potential new antitrust enforcement priorities, and who knows what else. The fact that they’re projecting a 2026 closing suggests they’re anticipating a lengthy regulatory dance. So while the DOJ clearance is definitely good news for Google, this acquisition saga is far from over.
