Google parent Alphabet is in talks to buy cyber security start-up Wiz for about $30bn, setting the stage for the biggest acquisition in the search giant’s history, according to people familiar with the matter.
Alphabet held talks over a $23bn acquisition of Wiz last year, although the negotiations collapsed after some of the cyber security company’s directors and investors became worried about antitrust hurdles. Alphabet had now returned with a bid of more than $30bn, a person said.
The new round of deal talks were ongoing and an agreement could be clinched soon, three people said. A takeover of Wiz would rank among the biggest deals of the year and would still likely face scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission under President Donald Trump, whose new chair Andrew Ferguson has maintained guidelines giving the agency the ability to block large deals used by his predecessor Lina Khan.