Wiz’s decision to reject Google’s acquisition offer could have significant consequences for Microsoft and the tech industry at large.
Google had aimed to acquire the Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz for $23 billion, but on Tuesday, Wiz’s CEO Assaf Rappaport announced that the company would not proceed with the deal. Rappaport emphasized that the choice was difficult, as Wiz aims to generate $1 billion in annual revenue and pursue an initial public offering in the future.
The acquisition would have strengthened Google’s position in the cybersecurity market, particularly following a major outage last week by industry leader CrowdStrike, which raised concerns about cybersecurity reliability. Analyst Dan Ives from Wedbush noted that investor apprehensions and ongoing antitrust issues contributed to the collapse of the deal. Google has recently been under significant scrutiny for antitrust practices and has just concluded one of its major trials with the Department of Justice.
Ives commented that the failure of the deal would likely create “ripple impacts” across the sector and predicted that Google will continue to focus on enhancing its cybersecurity capabilities. He also suggested that Microsoft may look to strengthen its cybersecurity platform in the next 12 to 18 months due to the consolidation needs in the sector.
Microsoft faced challenges recently when a global IT outage occurred because of a faulty CrowdStrike update, which affected its security software. Users worldwide experienced disruptions, and while CrowdStrike remains a highly regarded player in cybersecurity, the incident suggests that Microsoft may need to enhance its own cybersecurity offerings, especially in light of Google’s abandoned acquisition.