Google nears $23 billion deal to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz, WSJ reports

• Alphabet is close to a deal to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion, according to the WSJ.
• Sources told the Wall Street Journal that the tech giant was in advanced talks to buy the startup.
• Wiz was founded in 2020 and became one of the fastest growing startups a year later.

Google subsidiary Alphabet Inc. is nearing a deal to buy Wiz, a four-year-old cloud cybersecurity startup, for about $23 billion, people familiar with the discussions told The Wall Street Journal.

The sources said the search engine giant is in advanced talks to buy the company, and a deal is imminent, assuming those talks don’t fall through.

According to the New York Times, Wiz will be Google’s biggest acquisition if the purchase goes through.

Spokespeople for Google and Wiz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Founded in March 2020, Wiz is a startup that provides security to businesses that use cloud storage providers such as Amazon Web Services.

In less than a year, the startup was valued at $1.7 billion and quickly secured investments from Salesforce, Blackstone, and Algae, making Wiz one of the fastest-growing startups of the time, Business Insider previously reported.

But Alphabet’s potential acquisition of Wiz comes at a time when the Biden administration is taking a hard look at antitrust laws.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, accusing the search engine giant of monopolization. A verdict in the landmark, years-long trial is expected later this year.