Akamai Buys LayerX for $205M to Control AI in Browsers
Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire LayerX. LayerX is a leading provider of browser-based AI usage control and secure enterprise browser (SEB) technology. The deal is valued at approximately $205 million. It is set to close in the third quarter of 2026.
This Akamai LayerX acquisition AI browser security move directly addresses one of 2026’s most urgent enterprise challenges. Security teams can no longer see or control how employees use AI tools inside the browser. Generative AI, SaaS AI solutions, and AI agents are now standard workplace tools. Yet existing security controls are not keeping up.
“Our customers are adopting AI at record speed,” said Mani Sundaram, EVP and General Manager of Akamai’s Security Technology Group. “Their existing controls cannot see how employees interact with AI tools or share data with large language models. The acquisition of LayerX closes that gap, so enterprises can move at AI speed without compromising safety and compliance.”
LayerX takes a browser-native approach. That, in particular, is what sets it apart. Unlike proprietary enterprise browsers, LayerX works across all popular browsers without forcing a switch. It also supports next-generation agentic browsers, including Atlas and Comet. Employees keep their preferred browsers. Meanwhile, security teams gain real-time visibility over AI interactions, file uploads, prompts, and SaaS application use, all without infrastructure changes.
Akamai’s existing Zero Trust portfolio already covers Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), runtime protection of AI applications, and workload-level segmentation. LayerX now extends that coverage into the browser layer. Together, they govern AI usage across the user, the application, and the infrastructure, the end-to-end control enterprises have been demanding.
Or Eshed, CEO and Co-Founder of LayerX, called the deal a defining moment. “Securing human and agentic AI usage has become one of the biggest challenges in enterprise security,” he said. “Bringing LayerX’s technology together with Akamai’s Zero Trust portfolio gives enterprises the foundation to deploy AI safely at global scale.”
Eshed and co-founder David Vaisbrud will join Akamai’s Zero Trust organization, along with the full LayerX team. This marks Akamai’s fourth Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity acquisition in five years. Earlier deals include Noname Security in 2024 and Guardicore in 2021. It is also Akamai’s second acquisition in under a year, following serverless WebAssembly firm Fermyon in December 2025.
LayerX is projected to hit approximately $10 million in annual recurring revenue by end of 2026. The deal will be dilutive to Akamai’s non-GAAP EPS by roughly $0.12 for fiscal year 2026.
Ultimately, the Akamai LayerX acquisition AI browser security strategy tells us exactly where enterprise cybersecurity is heading, into the browser, where today’s real AI risk lives.
