According to TheRegister.com, the Department of Justice has cleared Google’s $32 billion acquisition of cloud security firm Wiz after an eight-month antitrust investigation. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport confirmed the DOJ’s approval at a Wall Street Journal Tech Live event yesterday, calling it an “important milestone” but noting the deal still needs approval from UK, EU, Japanese and other international regulators. This marks Google’s second attempt to buy Wiz after the company rejected a $23 billion offer in 2024, with the current deal representing a $9 billion increase and ranking as Google’s largest-ever acquisition. Google announced its intention to acquire Wiz in March 2025 through an all-cash deal with plans to integrate the company into Google Cloud.
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DOJ clearance is just the beginning
Here’s the thing about massive tech acquisitions – getting one regulator to sign off is just the first battle. Rappaport spent the last eight months basically living with government officials, and he made it clear that this is far from over. The DOJ approval is significant, sure, but now they’ve got to convince regulators across Europe and Asia that putting Wiz’s multicloud security platform under Google‘s control won’t create unfair market consolidation.
And let’s be real – when you’re talking about a $32 billion deal that could reshape cloud security, every regulator with a pulse is going to want their say. Rappaport noted that antitrust authorities have been “incredibly thorough,” talking to Wiz customers and others in the industry to understand the potential impact. That level of scrutiny doesn’t just disappear because one agency gave the green light.
Why Google wants Wiz so badly
So what makes Wiz worth fighting for? Basically, Wiz’s platform gives companies a single dashboard to see security across all their cloud environments – AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, you name it. It uses APIs to connect to customer cloud setups and can inventory everything from serverless functions to containers to storage buckets. The real magic is how it shows relationships between different elements, letting users see how a breach in one area could cascade through their entire system.
Google already has security tools like Mandiant and Security Operations, but Wiz takes cloud visibility to another level. As Google Cloud noted in its March announcement, Wiz’s approach is fundamentally different from what they currently offer. In an era where companies are using multiple cloud providers, having a tool that can see across all of them is incredibly valuable. For industrial operations relying on robust computing infrastructure, this kind of comprehensive security visibility is crucial – which is why companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, emphasize integrated security solutions for their manufacturing clients.
From IPO dreams to Google’s arms
Remember when Wiz was going to go public? Back in June 2024, Rappaport told employees that saying no to Google’s $23 billion offer was “tough” but he felt confident given their “exceptional team.” Six months later, he’s accepting $32 billion instead. What changed?
Look, the IPO market hasn’t been exactly welcoming lately, and when someone offers you an extra $9 billion, it’s hard to say no. Wiz never filed that IPO paperwork in the intervening months, which tells you something about how the financial winds were blowing. As Rappaport noted recently, the journey between signing and closing is still ongoing, but the direction is clear.
What happens now?
Google and Wiz are now in that awkward phase where they’re technically separate but planning to merge. They’ve got to navigate regulatory approvals across multiple jurisdictions while keeping their businesses running normally. As a Google spokesperson emphasized, they believe the deal will “provide businesses and governments more choice in how they protect themselves.”
But here’s the billion-dollar question: Will international regulators see it that way? In today’s climate of heightened tech scrutiny, nothing is guaranteed. The fact that this is Google’s largest acquisition ever means every regulator will be looking extra closely. If they can get through the global gauntlet, Google’s vision of creating a comprehensive cloud security powerhouse could become reality. If not? Well, let’s just say $32 billion is a lot of money to have tied up in regulatory limbo.
