GoogleGOOG

is finally “Wizzing up” to cloud security with its priciest acquisition ever — a jaw-dropping $32B splurge. Founded in 2020 and valued at just $16B last year, Wiz’s “easy-to-use security platform” connects to all major clouds — a booming service amid generative AI’s unprecedented computing thirst. The deal gives Google’s laggard cloud business crucial firepower against dominant rivals — and the timing couldn’t be better.

• Google fumbled a $23B deal with Wiz last summer when it walked away to pursue IPO dreams — later crawling back amid stubbornly quiet markets, although with 2x last year’s revenue.
• The all-cash transaction ~3x’s Google’s record $12.5B Motorola Mobility deal — eclipsing its Fitbit, Nest, and YouTube acquisitions, costing $2.1B, $3.2B, and $1.7B at the time, respectively.

Regulatory chess move: As Google’s cornerstone search business battles a devastating “monopoly” verdict, this security splurge offers insurance against advertising dependence. However, the Trump-era FTC’s reaction to Google’s costliest acquisition will determine its eligibility to combat Microsoft’sMSFT

and AWS’sAMZN

cloud supremacy. With $32B on the line, Google’s banking that this Wiz-ard will conjure enough market share to justify the hefty price of admission.