Startups & Funding

The $32B acquisition that one VC is calling the ‘Deal of the Decade’

Google pays $9B extra after antitrust review to secure cloud security startup Wiz.

Deep Dive

Google has closed the largest venture-backed acquisition in history, paying $32 billion for cybersecurity startup Wiz. The deal, which survived a rigorous antitrust review on both sides of the Atlantic, represents a $9 billion increase over Google's initial 2024 offer. According to Index Ventures Partner Shardul Shah, Wiz's immense valuation stems from its unique position at the convergence of three major tech spending trends: artificial intelligence, cloud migration, and enterprise security.

This landmark transaction underscores the strategic premium major cloud providers place on integrated security platforms as AI workloads and cloud adoption accelerate. The acquisition also highlights the intense regulatory environment for big tech M&A, with Google willing to navigate prolonged reviews and pay a significant premium. Beyond the Wiz deal, the tech landscape saw other major moves, including Meta's acquisition of viral AI agent social network Moltbook and growing industry support for Anthropic in its legal dispute with the Department of Defense.

Key Points
  • Google paid $32B for Wiz, a $9B increase over its 2024 offer, after surviving US and EU antitrust reviews.
  • Index Ventures' Shardul Shah cites Wiz's position at the center of AI, cloud, and security spend as key to its value.
  • The deal is the largest venture-backed acquisition in history, highlighting cloud providers' scramble for AI-era security.

Why It Matters

Signals massive consolidation in cloud security and sets a new benchmark for AI-infrastructure M&A valuations.