The European Commission is set to provide its formal verdict on Google’s $32 billion acquisition of cybersecurity startup Wiz as early as February 10, 2026. This deal represents the largest acquisition in the history of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Because of the size and potential impact on the cloud security market, regulators in both Europe and the United States are scrutinizing the takeover to ensure it does not unfairly limit competition. The Department of Justice in the U.S. is also conducting an early-stage review of the merger.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has publicly defended the deal, stating that the merger is necessary to help organizations manage the increasing complexity and frequency of global cyberattacks. To address antitrust concerns, both Google and Wiz have committed to keeping Wiz’s products cloud-agnostic. This means Wiz would continue to support and secure workloads on competing platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, rather than becoming a tool exclusive to Google Cloud. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport has echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that maintaining a multicloud platform is a core part of their business philosophy.
The stakes for Google are high. If the deal fails to secure regulatory approval, the tech giant has reportedly agreed to pay Wiz a 10% breakup fee, which amounts to roughly $3.2 billion. This financial penalty underscores the challenges big tech firms currently face when attempting large-scale acquisitions. Google in particular has been under intense pressure from regulators recently, having been found guilty in the U.S. of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search and facing various investigations in Europe regarding the Digital Markets Act.
If approved, the acquisition would significantly strengthen Google’s security portfolio, allowing it to better compete in the “global cloud wars” against industry leaders AWS and Microsoft. Wiz is known for its ability to scan cloud environments for vulnerabilities without requiring the installation of software agents, a feature that has made it one of the fastest-growing startups in the security space. Investors and industry analysts are watching the February deadline closely, as it will signal whether large-scale tech consolidation is still possible in the current regulatory climate.
