Google intends to acquire the cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion. This would be the largest acquisition in Google’s history and another step toward strengthening Google’s market power. As highlighted in a recent paper we published, Google’s power is already far too great.
Currently, Google ranks as the third-largest cloud provider, following Amazon and Microsoft. Its cloud business has grown significantly over the past two years, especially due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Wiz, on the other hand, is a fast-growing and successful company that has so far offered critical cloud security services independently, serving large enterprises and governments.
Through this acquisition, Google could potentially push competitors out of the cloud market and disadvantage them structurally. The deal could also impact the resilience of critical digital infrastructure within the EU. Therefore, we have submitted a formal submission to the European Competition Authority, urging a thorough investigation of this merger (Phase II investigation).
A Detailed Investigation Is More Than Necessary
On February 10, 2026, the European Commission will decide whether to conduct a more in-depth review of the merger or clear it without further scrutiny. Together with our European partners Open Markets Institute, Balanced Economy Project, SOMO and Article 19, we have submitted our concerns to the EU’s competition authority.
In our submission, we outline why the merger would enable Google, as a hyperscale cloud provider, to exclude competitors in both the cloud and cloud security markets. Should Google acquire Wiz, the company’s independent service offerings would be integrated into the ecosystem of a single hyperscaler, enabling Google to align Wiz’s products and roadmap with its own cloud strategy.
From our perspective, the transaction not only threatens the resilience of the European economy and society, but also creates interconnected risks related to conglomeration, the entrenchment of Google’s ecosystem, and an increased risk of lock-in, especially through non-price-related and technical parameters.
Further details on our critique of the Google-Wiz merger:
- Submission to the EU Competition Authority by Rebalance Now, Open Markets Institute, Balanced Economy Project, SOMO, and Article 19.
- Article on Tech Policy Press regarding Google-Wiz.
Picture: Reith & Associates; Lizenz: CC BY-NC 4.0
