Wiz acquisition by Google is indirectly connected to AI, particularly in the context of cloud security for AI infrastructure, which is a major strategic concern for big tech firms.
Here's how it's connected:
1. Securing AI Workloads
Wiz specializes in cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP). These are vital for:
Protecting AI model training environments (e.g., on Google Cloud, Azure, AWS)
Securing data pipelines and GPU clusters used in large-scale AI training and inference
Preventing breaches or data leaks involving proprietary AI models or datasets
> AI workloads are uniquely vulnerable because they involve massive amounts of sensitive data and require elastic cloud resources — a sweet spot for Wiz’s security tools.
2. AI-Powered Threat Detection
While Wiz itself is not an "AI company" like OpenAI or Anthropic, its platform uses AI and automation for:
Real-time vulnerability detection
Threat prioritization using risk-based scoring
Automatically identifying misconfigurations that AI systems might exploit
3. Google’s Strategy
Google Cloud is a backbone for AI infrastructure — both for its internal LLMs and external customers using Vertex AI, TensorFlow, etc. Acquiring Wiz:
Strengthens trust for enterprise AI customers
Adds layers of defense to AI-focused cloud systems
Complements Google’s other AI-focused acquisitions and investments (e.g., Mandiant, DeepMind)
Summary
Wiz is not an AI company, but it is deeply relevant to AI deployment at scale, especially in securing cloud environments where AI models are built, trained, and served. That’s why Google made this record-breaking acquisition — to protect the future of AI in the cloud.
Here’s a detailed history of the four Wiz founders—longtime friends, former IDF intelligence veterans, and serial entrepreneurs:
Origins & Military Service
**Met in the IDF (2001)**
All four founders—Assaf Rappaport (CEO), Ami Luttwak (CTO), Yinon Costica (VP Product), and Roy Reznik (VP R&D)—first crossed paths in 2001 during their service in Israel’s elite units. Many were in the Talpiot program or served in Unit 8200, laying the groundwork for both their technical skills and their close friendship .
Lifelong bond
They’ve described their relationship as almost familial—meeting as teens at 17 and deeply bonded through intense training, shared projects, and mutual drive .
First Exit: Adallom
Founded in 2012
Rappaport, Luttwak, and Reznik built Adallom (joined later by Costica), a Cloud Access Security Broker protecting SaaS apps like Office 365.
Acquired by Microsoft in 2015
The exit came at approximately $320 million . Post-sale, the founding team joined Microsoft, managing Azure’s cloud-security offerings and leading the Israel R&D center .
Corporate Leadership & Wiz’s Inception
Corporate experience
Assaf abruptly advanced to lead Microsoft Israel’s R&D center and the core Cloud Security group between 2015–2019 .
**Founding Wiz (2020)**
In January 2020, the quartet reunited to launch Wiz—an agentless CNAPP platform for securing multi-cloud environments. The team quickly raised funds and emerged from stealth in December 2020 with $100 million in seed/Series A funding .
Rapid Growth & Impact
Explosive scale
By mid‑2022, Wiz became the fastest company ever to scale from $1 M to $100 M in ARR—hitting $100M in 18 months. By early 2024, ARR reached ~$350 M, serving 40–50% of Fortune 100 companies .
Roles & equity stake
Assaf Rappaport: CEO (10% stake)
Ami Luttwak: CTO (10% stake)
Yinon Costica: VP Product (10%)
Roy Reznik: VP R&D (10%)
If the $32 billion deal closes, each stands to net over $3 billion before taxes .
Individual Profiles
Assaf Rappaport (b. August 28, 1983)
Education: BSc in CS, Physics & Math (Hebrew University); MSc in CS (Technion); Talpiot alum
Career steps: IDF → McKinsey (2010–12) → Adallom CEO (2012–15) → Microsoft GM (2015–19) → Wiz CEO (2020–present)
Public persona: Known for humility—rides public transport, avoids flashy lifestyle, advocates progressive policies—welcomed surrogacy for same-sex couples . Loved pet Mika, coffee, casual style .
Ami Luttwak
Role: CTO
Career: Co-founded Adallom; scaled solutions at Microsoft; key technical leader at Wiz .
Leadership trait: Emphasizes product-market fit, scalability, and team dynamics .
Yinon Costica
Role: VP of Product
Background: Studied CS alongside Rappaport; built product vision through military and startup experience .
Roy Reznik
Role: VP R&D
Contribution: Technical co-founder from Adallom; led engineering initiatives at Microsoft and Wiz .
The “Dream Team” Effect
Complementary strengths
Described as a trio of motivator, engineer, storyteller/investor, and manager—each brings a different skill set, yet they are tightly coordinated .
Shared ambition & trust
Their enduring friendship and shared trajectory—from military to exits to repeat founders—underpins rapid decision-making and unified vision .
✅ Summary
All four founders are Israeli, ex-Service in elite IDF units, first collaborated in Talpiot/Unit 8200, built one major company (Adallom→Microsoft), then reunited for their breakout hit—Wiz. The depth of their partnership, combined with strategic roles and aligned equity, made them ideal leaders for today's largest-ever Israeli tech exit.
