Fortinet vs PepsiCo: Founders, CEOs and History
Fortinet was founded in 2000 by Ken Xie, Michael Xie and is led by Ken Xie. PepsiCo was founded in 1965 by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay and is led by Ramon Laguarta.
Company facts
Founders
Fortinet
Ken Xie
Ken Xie co-founded Fortinet in 2000 with his brother Michael and has led it as Chairman and CEO since. Before Fortinet he co-founded NetScreen Technologies, a hardware-accelerated firewall company that Juniper Networks acquired in 2004 for about $4 billion.
Michael Xie
Michael Xie co-founded Fortinet with his brother Ken Xie in 2000 and serves as President and Chief Technology Officer. He oversees engineering, including the FortiOS operating system and the FortiASIC processors that accelerate FortiGate firewalls.
PepsiCo
Caleb Bradham
Caleb Bradham created "Brad's Drink" at his New Bern pharmacy in 1898, renamed it Pepsi-Cola and incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902.
Donald M. Kendall
Donald M. Kendall led Pepsi-Cola and engineered its 1965 merger with Frito-Lay to form PepsiCo, which he ran as CEO until 1986.
Herman W. Lay
Herman W. Lay (1909-1982) started his career as a snack food salesman. In 1932, he opened a snack food operation in Nashville, Tennessee, eventually purchasing the manufacturer and renaming it H.W. Lay & Company.
CEOs and their tenures
Fortinet
- Ken Xie2000–present
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Xie is widely recognized as one of the most successful and enduring pioneers of the modern cybersecurity industry.
Source - Michael Xie2000–present
Co-Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer
Co-founded Fortinet with his brother Ken Xie in 2000 and has served as President and CTO, directing engineering and the custom silicon that differentiates FortiGate.
Source - Christiane Ohlgart2023–present
Chief Financial Officer
Serving as interim CFO, she steered the company through a severe, highly volatile period of plunging hardware sales, aggressively pushing the company's transition toward higher-margin software and services revenue.
Source
PepsiCo
- D. Wayne Calloway1986–1996
Chief Executive Officer
He more than doubled PepsiCo's revenues during his tenure and heavily invested in the restaurant division before it was later spun off.
Source - Roger Enrico1996–2001
Chief Executive Officer
He dramatically simplified the company's structure, allowing it to focus resources on its core grocery and convenience store distribution networks.
Source - Steven Reinemund2001–2006
Chief Executive Officer
He oversaw significant international expansion and revenue growth, setting a strong operational foundation before handing leadership to Nooyi.
Source - Indra Nooyi2006–2018
Chief Executive Officer
Under her 12-year tenure as CEO, PepsiCo's revenue grew by more than 80%, and she fundamentally reshaped the company's identity from a junk-food purveyor to a diversified global food and beverage giant.
Source - Ramon Laguarta2018–present
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
He sustained strong organic revenue growth and protected operating margins through historically challenging supply chain conditions, while committing the company to major sustainability and packaging reduction goals.
Source
Timeline: Fortinet and PepsiCo side by side
1898PepsiCo
Pepsi-Cola Invented in North Carolina
Caleb Bradham formulated the original digestive cola syrup in his drugstore.
1965PepsiCo
Historic Merger of Pepsi-Cola & Frito-Lay
Donald Kendall and Herman Lay created PepsiCo, uniting snacks and soft drinks.
1975PepsiCo
Launch of the Pepsi Challenge
National blind taste tests shook Coca-Cola's market dominance and redefined advertising.
1997PepsiCo
Restaurant Business Spun Off
PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC) as Tricon Global Restaurants, now Yum! Brands, in 1997.
1998PepsiCo
Acquisition of Tropicana ($3.3B)
Acquired chilled orange juice leader Tropicana to dominate morning beverages.
2000Fortinet
Fortinet Founded
Ken Xie and Michael Xie founded Fortinet to build high-performance network security products.
2001PepsiCo
Acquisition of Quaker Oats & Gatorade ($13.4B)
Acquired Quaker Oats, adding sports hydration pioneer Gatorade to the portfolio.
2002Fortinet
FortiGate Launch
The FortiGate appliance family established Fortinet's firewall-led product identity.
2006PepsiCo
Indra Nooyi becomes CEO
Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo in 2006. Chief executive of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018.
2009Fortinet
IPO
Fortinet went public, giving the company access to capital for global enterprise expansion.
2011PepsiCo
Wimm-Bill-Dann Acquired
PepsiCo completed its acquisition of the Russian dairy and juice company Wimm-Bill-Dann in 2011.
2012Fortinet
Acquired XDN
Fortinet acquired XDN. Fortinet acquired XDN in 2012.
2013Fortinet
Acquired Coyote Point
Fortinet acquired Coyote Point. Fortinet acquired Coyote Point in 2013.
2015Fortinet
Acquired Meru Networks
Fortinet acquired Meru Networks. Fortinet acquired Meru Networks in 2015.
2018PepsiCo
Acquisition of SodaStream ($3.2B) & Ramon Laguarta Appointed CEO
Acquired SodaStream to pioneer eco-friendly dispensing; Ramon Laguarta took over as CEO.
2019Fortinet
Security Fabric Expansion
Fortinet broadened from firewalls into integrated secure networking, endpoint, cloud, and operations products.
2022PepsiCo
Strategic Distribution Alliance with Celsius ($550M)
Secured master global distribution for fast-growing energy brand Celsius.
2024Fortinet
Lacework and Next DLP Acquisitions
Fortinet bought cloud-security firm Lacework and data-loss-prevention vendor Next DLP.
2025Fortinet
Service Revenue Reaches Two-Thirds of Sales
FY2025 service revenue reached $4.5812B, or 67 percent of total revenue.
2025PepsiCo
poppi Acquisition and Elliott-Backed Plan
Closed the $1.95 billion poppi deal and announced a North America cost and pricing reset in December.
2026Fortinet
Refresh-Driven Acceleration
Q2 2026 revenue rose 26% to $2.05B and 2026 revenue guidance was raised to $8.02-$8.18B.
2026PepsiCo
Price Cuts on Core Snacks
Lowered prices on major Frito-Lay brands by up to 15% to recover US volumes.
Acquisitions
Fortinet
- Everest2025Undisclosed
- Lacework2024Undisclosed
- Next DLP2024Undisclosed
- ShieldX2021Undisclosed
- Sken.Ai2021Undisclosed
- OPAQ Networks2020Undisclosed
PepsiCo
- poppi2025$1.9B
- SodaStream International2018$3.2B
- The Quaker Oats Company (including Gatorade)2001$13.4B
- Tropicana Products1998$3.3B
Questions about Fortinet vs PepsiCo
Who is the CEO of Fortinet, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc.?
Fortinet, Inc. is led by Ken Xie and PepsiCo, Inc. is led by Ramon Laguarta. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Fortinet, Inc. founded vs PepsiCo, Inc.?
PepsiCo, Inc. was founded in 1965 — 35 years before Fortinet, Inc., which was founded in 2000. PepsiCo, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Fortinet, Inc..
How many employees does Fortinet, Inc. have compared to PepsiCo, Inc.?
Fortinet, Inc. employs approximately 15,109 people, while PepsiCo, Inc. employs approximately 306,000. PepsiCo, Inc. has the larger workforce at 306,000 employees, compared to Fortinet, Inc.'s 15,109. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Fortinet, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. headquartered?
Both Fortinet, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Fortinet, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc.?
Fortinet, Inc. was founded by Ken Xie, Michael Xie. PepsiCo, Inc. was founded by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay.
Which company has a longer operating history — Fortinet, Inc. or PepsiCo, Inc.?
PepsiCo, Inc. has been operating for approximately 61 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Fortinet, Inc. has been in operation for around 26 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Fortinet vs PepsiCo overview