Google to buy Wiz for $32B • Hacker News Board

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#821

Post by ergocoder » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 2:54 PM UTC

Reasoning wrote: post #570

epolanski wrote: post #72

What's in for Google? Like 32B is no small sum, and I don't really understand Wiz business (product yes, business and numbers much less).

The cloud computing market is ~$600B annually. Google has a market share of 12% in it while Amazon sits at 30% and Microsoft at 21%. I'm assuming this is Google trying to stay competitive in that market.

I'd bet, with the price tag, Amazon and MS were also looking to buy Wiz. That's why the price looks a bit outrageous.

Founders previously sold their security company to microsoft as well.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#822

Post by tguvot » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 2:56 PM UTC

belter wrote: post #770

tguvot wrote: post #542

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody who did army service in Israel does reserve service every year

Including the CEOs of security companies, who have access to the credentials of the cloud environments of thousandths of other companies.

ceos actually frequently get waiver from doing reserve service. because they are essential for operation of company.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#823

Post by maybelsyrup » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:07 PM UTC

alephnerd wrote: post #602

detourdog wrote: post #583

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of Arabs elected to the Knesset and they are also plentiful in the Israeli universities.

Ik. I have friends from Haifa, Nazareth, and Beersheba. There isn't an easy way to write Israel, Israeli Arab, Palestinian Arab, and non-Palestinian Arab. My point is, anyone who isn't Israeli (be they Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, Ethiopian, Arab, Druze, Chechen, etc) or Palestinian should stfu (me included). You have wackos saying "Israel is a fake state" or "raze Gaza into a parking lot". Yet if you talk to an actual Israel…

> My point is, anyone who isn't Israeli (be they Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, Ethiopian, Arab, Druze, Chechen, etc) or Palestinian should stfu (me included).

On the contrary: for the vast sums of money and military power we contribute to keep the lights on over there, US citizens should have two or three votes each in Israeli elections and free airfare to and lodging in the country. Oh, and access to their quite generous healthcare subsidies as well.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#824

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:14 PM UTC

refulgentis wrote: post #732

otterley wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is, at its core, an advertising company that tries to disguise itself as a technology company. When necessity calls, they will undoubtedly elect to divert resources towards their core business and away from their hobby projects (which GCP is).

I think you'd be quite surprised by how big it is inside Google. & Kurian won himself a lot of favor when Cloud figured out how to make sure it became profitable in Q2? 2023. It was the last Google organization to have a genuine sustained hiring spree and didn't face nearly the same amount of cutbacks

[deleted]

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#825

Post by nahimn » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:27 PM UTC

jb1991 wrote: post #219

Would be cool if they call the new product G-Wiz.

under rated dad joke. 10/10

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#826

Post by startupsfail » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:33 PM UTC

1oooqooq wrote: post #449

debarshri wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats the kind of a company everyone wants to build in enterprise security. Incognito unicorns. There are many companies like these in security space. Another company I can think of is Rubrik. All these large security companies under the radar success.

most people here are also in security and still haven't heard. It's more likely backroom kickbacks (and/or mossad) than invisible unicorn.

The article talks about Trump inserting himself into larger deals, there is no reason to think this one is an exception.

I’d also bet on this being more of a kickback, rather than an invisible unicorn. Between a visible elephant (Trump/Israel) and an invisible unicorn, betting on an elephant is more reasonable.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#827

Post by elAhmo » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:35 PM UTC

DeathArrow wrote: post #735

czk wrote: post #256

> Wiz has raised a total of $1.9 billion from a combination of venture capital funds and private investors > Wiz agreed to acquire Tel Aviv-based Raftt, a cloud-based developer collaboration platform, for $50 million in December 2023. In April 2024, the company acquired cloud detection and response startup, Gem Security, for around $350 million > Wiz was founded in January 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Roy…

>Adallom was founded in 2012 by Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak and Roy Reznik, who are former members of the Israeli Intelligence Corps’ Unit 8200 and alumni of the Talpiot program. It's interesting that many people working in intelligence found ways to become very successful in business. I wonder what is the reason.

Network

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#828

Post by elAhmo » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:41 PM UTC

dmarlow wrote: post #562

kats wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wiz has no brand, no one knows who they are. Revenue from Wiz's customers will not make back $32 billion dollars even in 30 years. Wiz's technology is irrelevant. I think Google already scans for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. And can build similar for low millions of dollars.

Plenty of people know who they are and have for quite a while.

A few years is not quite a while.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#829

Post by elAhmo » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:46 PM UTC

This feels like Waze, founder origins and name similarities aside. Google acquired them in 2013 for $1.3 billion, and it is still a standalone app, without being fully integrated into Google Maps.

It makes no sense for a company to have two mapping applications, yet 15 years later, more than a billion paid, one of the most valuable companies in the world failed to integrate another app.

Most people using Waze have no idea that it is owned by Google.

Re: Google to buy Wiz for $32B

#830

Post by nickpsecurity » Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:51 PM UTC

ryanSrich wrote: post #540

1oooqooq wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

most people here are also in security and still haven't heard. It's more likely backroom kickbacks (and/or mossad) than invisible unicorn.

If you're in security and you haven't at least heard of Wiz, I have doubts about what you actually do. I'm not saying you have to be a CSPM expert, but not even hearing about Wiz, when they are the largest CSPM, is somewhat concerning.

I've been securing my cloud instances the same way I would for dedicated hardware. I use the same tools. I periodically eyeball usage data from the service providers to make sure their end is OK. Takes 5-15 minutes. Occasionally run updates. It all mostly just keeps chugging along.

What is a CSPM? Some cloud monitoring tool? What does it provide over open-source security and monitoring tools with years of field use that would make me invest time into it? Also, have these tools been thoroughly audited, scanned, fuzzed, and pentested by reputable people like some of the open source tools we've been using? Since tools are part of the attack surface, do these tools themselves increase or reduce it?

Serious questions since you think I should be very knowledgeable about these tools. My tech stack just works with minimal maintenance. So, I'd have to lose time on more important or fun stuff to even study CSPM or Wiz. Not counting setting it up.