The Google Wiz acquisition has been cleared by the European Commission, approving the $32 billion deal for the cybersecurity firm Wiz. While EU regulators attempt to strike a balance by citing “healthy competition,” European businesses and the public sector are waking up to a new reality: Google is now officially the security auditor for its own direct competitors.
An X-Ray for Competitors: Who Is Now Under Google’s Watch?
Wiz, the classic Israeli “unicorn” headquartered in the U.S., is more than just a software suite; it is a “universal key” to multi-cloud environments. The primary value of Wiz lies in its ability to scan infrastructure without installing additional software (agentless). Its largest European clients include organizations that have spent years avoiding storing data with Google, such as the German automotive giant BMW Group, technological leader Siemens, energy major Shell, luxury group LVMH, retailer Carrefour, and the cloud-native British-European fintech Revolut.
The landscape has now shifted: even if these companies utilize cloud services from Amazon (AWS) or Microsoft (Azure), the security tools they rely on now belong to Google.
An “All-Seeing Eye” for the Public Sector
The deal is particularly sensitive because Wiz holds the highest levels of certification for government work (notably in the UK and the US). European ministries and agencies that transitioned to the “independent” Wiz to protect their data have suddenly found that their independent overseer is now a division of Google.
Why Did the European Commission Approve the Deal?
Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera maintains that the data Google will access through Wiz is allegedly “not commercially sensitive.” However, critics argue this is a dangerous misconception. Wiz has visibility into network configurations, vulnerabilities, traffic patterns, and application structures. For Google’s AI algorithms, this represents a priceless dataset for understanding the inner workings of their competitors.
The Opposition: A Shadow Struggle
It is worth noting that a coalition of civil society organizations—including the Balanced Economy Project, Open Markets Institute, and SOMO—fought against the deal. They flooded the European Commission with letters, labeling Wiz a “Trojan Horse” that would grant Google unprecedented power over competitor data.
Ultimately, the voice of the corporate giant with a multi-billion dollar budget proved louder than the concerns of public advocates. The deal was approved under “Phase I,” meaning regulators did not even initiate the in-depth investigation that typically lasts for months.
Lobbying for the deal’s approval likely capitalized on Europe’s fear of falling behind in the AI race and the “green light” from Washington. Brussels appeared unwilling to engage in a fight with the tech giant when “future security” was touted as being at stake.
The End of Neutrality
Wiz always positioned itself as the “neutral Switzerland” of the cloud world. However, following this 2026 deal, that neutrality has vanished.
Google now controls a security layer that sits above all cloud providers. If Europe’s critical infrastructure—from BMW to its banks—is secured by “locks” manufactured by Google, the question of digital sovereignty becomes increasingly fraught.
Google hasn’t just bought a startup; it has acquired the right to monitor the vulnerabilities and architecture of the entire European economy. And it appears the European Commission has handed them the keys.
Future Impact of the Google Wiz Acquisition
NEWSROOM IN notes that this acquisition is the largest in Google’s history. Earlier, in November 2025, the deal was also approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. The merger process is expected to be fully completed during 2026 after remaining approvals are obtained in other jurisdictions, including Israel and Australia.
