Okta vs Palo Alto Networks: Founders, CEOs and History
Okta was founded in 2009 by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest and is led by Todd McKinnon. Palo Alto Networks was founded in 2005 by Nir Zuk and is led by Nikesh Arora.
Company facts
Okta
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Todd McKinnon
- Employees
- 6,366
Palo Alto Networks
- Founded
- 2005
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Nikesh Arora
- Employees
- 16,068
Founders
Okta
Todd McKinnon
Todd McKinnon co-founded Okta in 2009 and has been its CEO since the start. At Salesforce he ran engineering during its early growth, which shaped his view that SaaS adoption would make identity, not the network perimeter, the core of enterprise security.
Frederic Kerrest
Frederic Kerrest co-founded Okta with Todd McKinnon in 2009 and led its early sales, partnerships and operations as chief operating officer, later serving as executive vice chairman.
Palo Alto Networks
Nir Zuk
Nir Zuk is the Israeli-American engineer who founded Palo Alto Networks in 2005 and has served as its chief technology officer.
CEOs and their tenures
Okta
- Todd McKinnon2009–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Okta since founding, through its 2017 IPO, the 2021 Auth0 deal and its turn to GAAP profitability in fiscal 2025.
Source - Frederic Kerrest2009–2023
Co-Founder; former COO and Executive Vice Chairman
As Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, he provided the absolutely essential business and sales acumen required to scale the company, perfectly complementing Todd McKinnon's technical expertise.
Source - Brett Tighe2022–present
Chief Financial Officer
Oversaw margin expansion to a 30% free cash flow margin in fiscal 2026, the cash settlement of the 2026 convertible notes and the share buyback.
Source
Palo Alto Networks
- Mark McLaughlin2011–2018
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Serving as CEO from 2011 to 2018, he took the company public and completely established its dominance over legacy rivals like Check Point and Cisco before handing the reins to Nikesh Arora.
Source - Nikesh Arora2018–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Since 2018, Arora has led more than a dozen acquisitions, moved the revenue mix toward subscriptions, launched the 2024 platformization strategy and closed the $25 billion CyberArk deal.
Source - Dipak Golechha2021–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he manages the incredibly complex financial modeling required to transition the massive legacy hardware company completely into a high-margin, cloud-based software subscription behemoth.
Source
Timeline: Okta and Palo Alto Networks side by side
2005Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks Founded by Nir Zuk
Nir Zuk incorporates Palo Alto Networks in Santa Clara, California, developing application-aware network security architectures.
2007Palo Alto Networks
First Next-Generation Firewall (PA-4000 Series) Released
Palo Alto Networks ships the industry's first commercial Next-Generation Firewall, providing deep packet inspection and application identification via App-ID.
2009Okta
Founded as Saasure in San Francisco
Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest start the company; it is soon renamed Okta.
2011Palo Alto Networks
Mark McLaughlin becomes CEO
Mark McLaughlin became CEO of Palo Alto Networks in 2011. Became vice chairman when Nikesh Arora took over on June 6, 2018.
2012Palo Alto Networks
Initial Public Offering on the NYSE
Palo Alto Networks lists on the NYSE under ticker PANW at $42 per share, raising about $260 million. It later moved its listing to Nasdaq in 2021.
2014Palo Alto Networks
Cyvera Acquired
Palo Alto Networks bought the endpoint-security company Cyvera in 2014 for about $200 million.
2015Okta
$1.2 Billion Valuation
Okta raised $75 million in September 2015 at a valuation of about $1.2 billion.
2017Okta
Nasdaq IPO (OKTA)
Okta lists in April 2017 at $17 per share, raising about $187 million.
2018Palo Alto Networks
Nikesh Arora Appointed CEO
Former Google and SoftBank executive Nikesh Arora assumes leadership as CEO, initiating an aggressive multi-billion-dollar cloud security acquisition wave.
2019Okta
Azuqua Acquired
Okta bought the workflow-automation company Azuqua in 2019 for about $52.5 million.
2019Palo Alto Networks
Prisma Cloud and Cortex Suites Launched
The company unifies its cloud security and AI-driven security operations center (SOC) capabilities into Prisma Cloud and Cortex platforms alongside Strata firewalls.
2021Okta
Auth0 acquisition closes
Okta completes its roughly $6.5 billion all-stock purchase of Auth0 in May 2021, adding customer identity.
2022Okta
Lapsus$ Breach
Okta disclosed in March 2022 that the Lapsus$ group had accessed a support engineer's laptop at a contractor.
2023Okta
Support system breach
An October 2023 compromise of Okta's customer support system exposed customer data and hurt trust.
2023Okta
Acquired Spera Security
Okta acquired Spera Security.
2023Palo Alto Networks
Added to the S&P 500
Palo Alto Networks joined the S&P 500 index in June 2023.
2024Palo Alto Networks
Enterprise 'Platformization' Acceleration
In February 2024 the company cut guidance to fund platformization incentives, offering customers free periods to consolidate onto its platforms; the stock fell about 28% the next day.
2025Okta
First full year of GAAP profit
Fiscal 2025 revenue reaches $2.610 billion with $28 million of GAAP net income.
2025Okta
Acquired Axiom Security
Okta acquired Axiom Security.
2025Palo Alto Networks
Fiscal 2025 revenue of $9.22 billion
Revenue grew 15% to $9.22 billion with GAAP net income of $1.13 billion; in July 2025 the company agreed to buy CyberArk.
2026Okta
Fiscal 2026: $2.919B revenue, $235M net income
Revenue grows 12% and free cash flow reaches $863 million.
2026Okta
Permiso deal and Okta for AI Agents
Okta agrees to buy Permiso Security in July 2026 and launches AI agent identity products at Oktane in September 2026.
2026Palo Alto Networks
CyberArk and Chronosphere acquisitions close
Palo Alto completed the $3.35 billion Chronosphere deal in January 2026 and the roughly $25 billion CyberArk deal in February 2026, adding observability and identity security.
2026Palo Alto Networks
Fiscal 2026 revenue of $11.48 billion
Revenue rose 24.5% to $11.48 billion and NGS ARR rose 63% to $9.10 billion for the year ended July 31, 2026.
Acquisitions
Okta
- Permiso Security2026Undisclosed
- Axiom Security2025Undisclosed
- Spera Security2023Undisclosed
- Auth02021$6.5B
Palo Alto Networks
- CyberArk2026$25B
- Chronosphere2026$3.4B
- Talon Cyber Security2023$625M
- Dig Security2023$400M
- Bridgecrew2021$156M
Questions about Okta vs Palo Alto Networks
Who is the CEO of Okta, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc.?
Okta, Inc. is led by Todd McKinnon and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is led by Nikesh Arora. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Okta, Inc. founded vs Palo Alto Networks, Inc.?
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. was founded in 2005 — 4 years before Okta, Inc., which was founded in 2009. Palo Alto Networks, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Okta, Inc..
How many employees does Okta, Inc. have compared to Palo Alto Networks, Inc.?
Okta, Inc. employs approximately 6,366 people, while Palo Alto Networks, Inc. employs approximately 16,068. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has the larger workforce at 16,068 employees, compared to Okta, Inc.'s 6,366. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Okta, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. headquartered?
Both Okta, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Okta, Inc. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc.?
Okta, Inc. was founded by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. was founded by Nir Zuk.
Which company has a longer operating history — Okta, Inc. or Palo Alto Networks, Inc.?
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has been operating for approximately 21 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Okta, Inc. has been in operation for around 17 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 Okta vs Palo Alto Networks overview