Assaf Rappaport, founder of Wiz, is a name that has become synonymous with innovation in the cloud security industry. Under his leadership, Wiz, a cloud security platform, has rapidly grown into a powerhouse, boldly declaring itself “the world’s largest cybersecurity unicorn.” This claim is supported by its astonishing valuation of $12 billion as of May 2024, groundbreaking technology, and a customer base comprising 45% Fortune 100 companies, including some of the world’s most prominent companies, such as Salesforce and Morgan Stanley.
But what sets Wiz apart in such a crowded field? And why is Assaf Rappaport at the center of its meteoric rise? As the company turned down multi-billion-dollar acquisition offers, the answers may lie in its unique approach to cybersecurity and the vision of its charismatic leader. So, let’s dive deeper into the factors driving Wiz’s success and why it has become the hottest name in tech.
Early journey of the future CEO of Wiz
According to Assaf Rappaport’s LinkedIn profile, he began his career at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he earned a B.Sc. in Computer Science in 2005. His quest for deeper understanding led him to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he pursued an M.Sc. in Computer Science, completing it in 2012. These years established his foundation as a problem-solver and innovator, preparing him for a career that would ultimately reshape cloud security.
Rappaport’s professional journey started in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where he served as a Software Engineer and Project Manager, gaining critical experience in high-stakes problem-solving. Transitioning to the corporate sector, he joined McKinsey & Company as a consultant, where he developed a sharp business acumen that complemented his technical expertise. These dual strengths came to fruition when he co-founded Adallom in 2012, a cybersecurity startup that revolutionized how enterprises secured their SaaS platforms. In 2015, Adallom’s groundbreaking success led to its acquisition by Microsoft, where Rappaport continued to shine as the General Manager of Microsoft’s Israel R&D Center, spearheading projects that positioned Israel as a global hub for innovation.
Despite these achievements, Rappaport felt a pull toward entrepreneurship. Thanks to Assaf Rappaport’s background, in 2020, he leveraged his experience and the growing demand for simplified cloud security to co-found Wiz. The company’s mission is straightforward and clear: to address the complexities of cloud security with innovative solutions that prioritize both usability and effectiveness. With this bold vision, Rappaport began crafting what would soon become the world’s largest cybersecurity unicorn.
The birth of Wiz: a new era in cybersecurity
Thus, in March 2020, four veterans of cybersecurity innovation – Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik – came together to create Wiz, a company set to redefine cloud security. With a shared history from their time at Microsoft (following the acquisition of their previous startup, Adallom) and expertise forged in elite Israeli military intelligence units, the founders were uniquely positioned to understand the complexities of securing modern cloud environments.
The vision behind Wiz was bold yet refreshingly straightforward: to simplify cloud security by offering an agentless, API-driven platform. This approach made Wiz remarkably easy to deploy, delivering actionable insights in minutes, starkly contrasting the industry norm of siloed, alert-heavy tools. By leveraging their proprietary “Security Graph,” Wiz enabled organizations to identify and prioritize the most critical risks across sprawling cloud ecosystems, making it a favorite among both developers and security teams.
From the outset, Wiz moved at lightning speed. Within 18 months, the company reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue, an unprecedented milestone for a SaaS company. Its client list swelled to include names like BMW, Salesforce, Fox, Revolut, and other prominent companies. Wiz’s relentless innovation also expanded into areas like Kubernetes security, data posture management, and attack surface management, all under one cohesive platform.
This meteoric rise wasn’t just about technical excellence. Wiz cultivated a deep partnership ethos with its customers, learning from their challenges and iterating quickly to meet their needs. This approach resonated strongly in an industry often burdened by complexity. By 2024, Wiz had become the world’s largest cybersecurity unicorn, achieving a $12 billion valuation in just 4 years — a feat that cemented its place in the annals of cloud security history. As of June 2025, Assaf Rappaport has reached a net worth of $2.2 billion.
The story of Wiz is not just about numbers or technological breakthroughs. It is a real example of the power of a clear vision executed with precision and a relentless focus on empowering businesses to innovate securely in the cloud. It also demonstrates Assaf’s strong leadership as CEO, his extensive experience, and his unwavering confidence in his company and employees. Why is Assaf Rappaport’s belief in Wiz so vital in this context? Because it directly impacted the company’s business strategy, leading Wiz to become one of the most desired tech startups for acquisition. So, why exactly does everyone want to buy Wiz?
What makes Wiz the most desired tech startup to acquire
As CEO, Assaf Rapport’s confidence in the company and its team has shaped its culture and guided critical decisions. In July 2024, the first rumors broke that Google made a historic offer to acquire Wiz for an eye-popping $23 billion. The offer was quite seductive, wasn’t it? Despite this massive sum, Assaf Rappaport made the bold decision to reject the deal. This decision was based on his belief in Wiz’s potential to continue growing independently, as the company had already achieved incredible milestones, such as $350 million in revenue in just three years. Rappaport’s decision to stay the course demonstrated his deep trust in the company’s vision and the strength of its team, setting Wiz on a path toward even greater success.
Rappaport shared with employees when he rejected Google’s $23 billion acquisition proposal. This rejection was more in line with Rappaport’s long-term vision for the company, which he sees as capable of reshaping the cybersecurity landscape on its own terms.
However, the decision to decline the massive offer from Google was not made lightly. Initially, Wiz participated in discussions out of respect for its investors, as the potential deal promised quick returns and financial security. However, as the final decision loomed, the leadership team, including Rappaport, CTO Ami Luttwak, and other co-founders, realized that selling would mean relinquishing their vision of Wiz as a transformative company capable of going public and competing directly with industry giants. Their conviction came from their belief that Wiz’s innovation and unique market approach could drive it to even greater heights.
In the interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport briefly mentioned that Amazon had also expressed interest in acquiring Wiz. Despite this, he and his team chose to decline the offer as well.
These choices were met with a mix of surprise and admiration within the company. Employees were invigorated by Rappaport’s faith in them and in Wiz’s mission. His declaration that “we are building a platform that both security and development teams love” underscored his alignment with the company’s ethos – creating something truly groundbreaking rather than settling for short-term gains. At its core, Assaf always chooses to focus on scaling the company rather than selling it.
A new chapter: Wiz joins Google Cloud after all
Yet, after lengthy discussions and deliberations, on March 18, 2025, it was officially announced that Google had acquired Wiz for $32 billion, subject to closing adjustments, in an all-cash transaction.
The deal marks one of the largest cybersecurity acquisitions in history, signaling Google Cloud’s bold push deeper into the cloud security market.
wrote Assaf Rappaport in Wiz’s blog. That multicloud vision, he emphasized, will remain core to Wiz’s identity under Google Cloud. The acquisition is expected to bring significant advantages to customers, partners, and employees. Customers will gain access to a more integrated set of tools combining Wiz’s cloud security strengths with Google Cloud’s AI, data, and infrastructure capabilities.
Partners can expect even greater reach and relevance through deeper integration within the ecosystem. And for the “Wizards” – Wiz employees – Rappaport sees this as a transformative opportunity to work alongside some of the brightest minds in tech. Google Cloud, known for pioneering developments such as Zero Trust security, Kubernetes, and AI tooling like TensorFlow, provides a robust foundation for scaling Wiz’s technology and mission.
With this acquisition, Wiz is no longer just a rising star – it’s becoming part of the gravitational center of cloud security’s future.
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What is next for Wiz?
Before the acquisition, Assaf Rappaport made it clear: Wiz was never about chasing quick exits – it was about building lasting impact in cloud security. With Wiz’s acquisition, this vision hasn’t changed. Now, with the full force of Google Cloud behind it, Wiz is set to scale its mission faster and further than ever before.
With Google’s AI and infrastructure, Wiz will accelerate innovation across the entire cloud security lifecycle – from code to cloud, from detection to prevention. Crucially, it will remain a multicloud platform, continuing to support AWS, Azure, and other cloud environments.
For customers and partners, this means more powerful tools, deeper integrations, and broader capabilities – all delivered with the same human-focused, mission-driven spirit that defined Wiz from the start.
The next chapter? Bigger, bolder, and built to secure the future of the cloud.
