Jay Chaudhry
Co-founder, Chairman and CEO
2007 – Present
19 years (current)
Key Decisions & Impact
Chaudhry, a serial security-startup founder who built and sold SecureIT, CoreHarbor, CipherTrust, and AirDefense before Zscaler, has directed the company's expansion beyond core network security through acquisitions including Avalor ($350 million, 2024, becoming the Risk360 product) and Red Canary ($400 million, 2025) for managed detection and response, positioning Zscaler as an AI-powered security-operations platform rather than a single-product network-security vendor.
Legacy
Under Chaudhry, Zscaler crossed $3 billion in annual recurring revenue in fiscal 2025 and guided to about 24% ARR growth for fiscal 2026, with AI-security products alone approaching $400 million of that total. Chaudhrys continued day-to-day involvement as both chairman and CEO, unusual for a company of Zscalers scale nearly two decades after founding, reflects his particularly hands-on leadership style relative to founders who typically transition to board-only roles much earlier. Chaudhry has stated publicly that he views Zscaler as his final company, distinguishing it from his earlier pattern of founding and exiting multiple security startups in succession.