Okta vs Snyk: Founders, CEOs and History
Okta was founded in 2009 by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest and is led by Todd McKinnon. Snyk was founded in 2015 by Guy Podjarny, Assaf Hefetz, Danny Grander and is led by Kenneth MacAskill (Interim CEO).
Company facts
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.
Snyk
Guy Podjarny
Guy Podjarny co-founded Snyk in 2015 and was its CEO until July 2019, when Peter McKay took over and Podjarny became president and chairman. He later founded AI-native software development startup Tessl.
Assaf Hefetz
Assaf Hefetz co-founded Snyk in 2015 alongside Guy Podjarny and Danny Grander. A highly elite cybersecurity researcher, he recognized that the massive explosion in open-source software libraries meant that developers were accidentally importing millions of sev…
Danny Grander
Danny Grander co-founded Snyk in 2015. Bringing absolutely critical, deep technical expertise in software exploitation, he built the foundational vulnerability database that Snyk relies on.
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
Snyk
- Guy Podjarny2015–present
Co-Founder; CEO 2015-2019; Chairman
As the visionary Co-Founder and original CEO, he completely invented the 'developer-first' security movement, proving that engineers will fix vulnerabilities if you give them the right automated tools.
Source - Peter McKay2019–2026
CEO
Former Veeam co-CEO who led Snyk from 2019, through its 2021-2022 mega-rounds, to over $300M in revenue. He announced his exit in February 2026, left the board on May 15, 2026 and moved to an advisory role.
Source - Kenneth MacAskill2026–present
Interim CEO (also CFO)
As CFO, he acts as the highly disciplined financial anchor, pushing the hyper-growth startup toward actual profitability in preparation for a highly anticipated IPO.
Source
Timeline: Okta and Snyk side by side
2009Okta
Founded as Saasure in San Francisco
Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest start the company; it is soon renamed Okta.
2015Okta
$1.2 Billion Valuation
Okta raised $75 million in September 2015 at a valuation of about $1.2 billion.
2015Snyk
Snyk founded
Guy Podjarny, Assaf Hefetz and Danny Grander founded Snyk to find and fix vulnerable open-source dependencies.
2017Okta
Nasdaq IPO (OKTA)
Okta lists in April 2017 at $17 per share, raising about $187 million.
2019Okta
Azuqua Acquired
Okta bought the workflow-automation company Azuqua in 2019 for about $52.5 million.
2019Snyk
Peter McKay becomes CEO
Former Veeam co-CEO Peter McKay succeeded Guy Podjarny as CEO; Podjarny became president and chairman.
2020Snyk
DeepCode acquisition
Snyk acquired Zurich-based DeepCode, whose AI code analysis became Snyk Code.
2021Okta
Auth0 acquisition closes
Okta completes its roughly $6.5 billion all-stock purchase of Auth0 in May 2021, adding customer identity.
2021Snyk
$8.5B peak valuation
Snyk raised a $530 million Series F at an $8.5 billion valuation.
2022Okta
Lapsus$ Breach
Okta disclosed in March 2022 that the Lapsus$ group had accessed a support engineer's laptop at a contractor.
2022Snyk
$196.5M Series G at $7.4B
Snyk raised its last disclosed round at a lower $7.4 billion valuation and cut about 14% of staff.
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.
2023Snyk
Acquired Enso Security
Snyk acquired Enso Security.
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.
2025Snyk
Invariant Labs acquisition
Snyk bought AI agent security research firm Invariant Labs; full-year revenue rose 11% to $309.2 million.
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.
2026Snyk
CEO transition
Peter McKay stepped down, CFO Kenneth MacAskill became interim CEO and Guy Podjarny returned as chairman.
Acquisitions
Okta
- Permiso Security2026Undisclosed
- Axiom Security2025Undisclosed
- Spera Security2023Undisclosed
- Auth02021$6.5B
Snyk
- Invariant Labs2025Undisclosed
- Enso Security2023Undisclosed
- DeepCode2020Undisclosed
Questions about Okta vs Snyk
Who is the CEO of Okta, Inc. and Snyk?
Okta, Inc. is led by Todd McKinnon and Snyk is led by Kenneth MacAskill (Interim CEO). Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Okta, Inc. founded vs Snyk?
Okta, Inc. was founded in 2009 — 6 years before Snyk, which was founded in 2015. Okta, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Snyk.
How many employees does Okta, Inc. have compared to Snyk?
Okta, Inc. employs approximately 6,366 people, while Snyk employs approximately 990. Okta, Inc. has the larger workforce at 6,366 employees, compared to Snyk's 990. 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 Snyk headquartered?
Both Okta, Inc. and Snyk are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Okta, Inc. and Snyk?
Okta, Inc. was founded by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest. Snyk was founded by Guy Podjarny, Assaf Hefetz, Danny Grander.
Which company has a longer operating history — Okta, Inc. or Snyk?
Okta, Inc. has been operating for approximately 17 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Snyk has been in operation for around 11 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 Snyk overview