Merger of high-tech companies with state intelligence services.
Background:
Google announced in March 2025 that it would acquire Israeli cloud security company Wiz, the largest Israeli start-up ever, for $32 billion. The founders of Wiz are all veterans of Israel’s 8200 unit, a notorious intelligence unit in the field of surveillance and cyberwarfare.
Unit 8200 – the Israeli equivalent of the NSA:
This elite unit is known for mass surveillance, code cracking, targeted killings, and hacking in the occupied territories. Many startups like NSO (Pegasus) originated here. According to research, more than 1,400 former or active members of the 8200 unit work for leading technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Intel, NVIDIA, Cisco – often in key positions.
Security and privacy concerns:
Wiz’s integration with Google Cloud gives former intelligence agents potential access to global user data. Critics warn that this infrastructure could be used for surveillance, political repression, and military purposes. U.S. intelligence agencies rank Israel among the biggest spy threats, along with China, Russia, and Iran.
Massive financial support for Israel’s war-torn economy:
The acquisition will bring about $1.5 billion in bonuses to Wiz employees and about $4 billion in tax revenue to the Israeli state – about 0.6 percent of gross domestic product. The acquisition comes at a time when Israel’s tech sector is economically battered by the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Google’s commitment is practically acting as a rescue package.
Google, Amazon, and the military-digital complex:
Google has already worked closely with the Israeli military as part of “Project Nimbus” and has delivered artificial intelligence systems such as “Lavender” that have been used to identify and kill targets in the Gaza war. Despite internal protests and layoffs from Google and Amazon (“No Tech for Apartheid”), technological interdependence continues to deepen.
Conclusion:
Google’s acquisition of Wiz is not just a business, but also a geopolitically extremely explosive signal. It represents a profound fusion of Big Tech and military intelligence structures – especially with a state that is internationally criticized for serious human rights violations. This raises serious questions about the independence, ethics, and global responsibility of Western tech companies.
Translated and edited by Alex Kada