Akamai acquires Israeli AI browser security startup LayerX for $205 million in cash
Deal expands Zero Trust strategy as enterprises struggle to control AI use.
Akamai Technologies is acquiring Israeli cybersecurity startup LayerX Security, which develops solutions for browser-based AI usage control and secure enterprise browser (SEB) technology, for approximately $205 million in cash.
LayerX’s technology extends security protections to the browser layer, where a growing share of enterprise activity now takes place, including employee use of generative AI tools, SaaS-based AI services, and autonomous AI agents. The acquisition marks another step in Akamai’s expansion of its Zero Trust strategy and addresses what many organizations see as one of the most urgent cybersecurity challenges of 2026: monitoring and controlling the use of AI tools inside the enterprise.
Unlike dedicated enterprise browsers that require employees to adopt entirely new work environments, LayerX operates on top of existing browsers, allowing organizations to secure employee activity without changing user behavior or workflows. The platform is also designed to support the emerging generation of AI agent-based browsers, including Atlas and Comet.
“Our customers are adopting AI at an unprecedented pace, and the message we hear from them is clear: existing security tools do not provide sufficient visibility into how employees use AI tools and what information they share with large language models,” said Ofer Wolf, SVP & GM Enterprise Security Group at Akamai and the company’s Israel site leader. “The acquisition of LayerX adds a layer of control to Akamai at the point of use itself, enabling organizations to adopt AI quickly without compromising security or compliance.”
“Securing human and agentic AI usage has become one of the defining challenges in enterprise security,” said Or Eshed, CEO and co-founder of LayerX. “We’re giving enterprises the foundation to deploy AI safely at a global scale by bringing LayerX’s technology together with Akamai’s Zero Trust portfolio and the world’s most distributed edge platform.”
Founded in 2022 by Or Eshed and David Weisbrot, LayerX has raised $45 million from investors including Glilot Capital, Dell Technologies Capital, and Jump Capital. Following the acquisition, LayerX employees, including the founders, will join Akamai’s cybersecurity division. Akamai said the LayerX business is expected to have annual recurring revenue at year end of approximately$10 million.
The deal adds to a series of acquisitions Akamai has made in Israel in recent years as it deepens its cybersecurity operations in the country. Among the most notable were the acquisition of Guardicore in 2021 for approximately $600 million, which became a central pillar of Akamai’s global Zero Trust operations, and the acquisition of Noname Security in 2024 for approximately $450 million. Akamai also acquired NeoSec in 2023, alongside earlier Israeli acquisitions including Cotendo in 2012 and ChameleonX in 2019.
The company is continuing to expand its operations in Israel and is actively recruiting employees across research and development, product, and information security roles.
Investment bank Jefferies advised on the transaction.
