Israeli cybersecurity company Wiz, which was sold to Google for $32 billion, flew its employees to the luxury resort area of Khao Lak in Thailand last week for a five-day vacation capped by a surprise performance by international pop star Katy Perry. The trip’s cost is estimated at tens of millions of shekels, while Perry’s private performance, including her fee and production expenses, is estimated to have cost $3 million to $4 million.
The vacation included accommodation at a luxury resort and parties for employees. The highlight was Perry’s private concert, featuring a selection of her hits, including “I Kissed a Girl.”
Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport and Katy Perry
(Photos: Jason Kempin/Getty Images, Omer Hacohen)
This is not the first time Perry has performed at a private event for a substantial fee. In February 2024, she performed at Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt’s Melbourne estate at an event attended by Australia’s prime minister and other senior figures. According to a report by Australian outlet Nine, Perry received about 1.5 million Australian dollars, approximately 3.3 million shekels, for the performance. Nine entertainment reporter Peter Ford estimated that booking her for a private performance would cost 2 million to 3 million Australian dollars, approximately 4.4 million to 6.6 million shekels.
Her Australian performance drew a pro-Palestinian protest, with dozens of demonstrators gathering outside the estate to protest against those attending and call for a free Palestine. The protesters argued that while the rich and famous celebrated, people in Gaza were suffering from bombing and hunger.
Perry’s performance for employees of an Israeli company is now drawing criticism online. Users on the international music forum ATRL opened a discussion about the concert and criticized her decision to participate. One user wrote that they had seen posts by Thai citizens complaining about Zionist tourists, adding that they were not only coming to Thailand but bringing Katy Perry with them. Another expressed renewed disappointment in the singer, while a third criticized pop stars who publicly take social stands but agree to perform at private events for wealthy individuals and major companies for large fees.
This is also not the first time Wiz, founded by Assaf Rappaport and his partners, has spent heavily on employee events. In February, the company held its traditional Purim party at Expo Tel Aviv, this time under the name “Wizcotheque,” inspired by ABBA. The event’s cost was estimated at about 10 million shekels, and it featured more than 20 Israeli artists, including Ninet Tayeb, Shiri Maimon, Sarit Hadad, Eden Ben Zaken and Peer Tasi.
The company has staged lavish events in previous years as well. It flew dozens of employees to Mauritius, where they took part in a private version of the reality show “Survivor.” In March 2022, it held a company event dedicated to Disney songs, featuring Sarit Hadad, Berry Sakharof, Noa Kirel and Maor Cohen, along with a reunion of Ninet Tayeb and Ran Danker.
In March of this year, Wiz held its annual sales event in Las Vegas, attended by dozens of employees from Israel despite the war. The event featured a performance by American rapper Pitbull and a production themed around a fictional airline called “WizAir.”