Gil Shwed (Hebrew: גיל שויד; born in 1968 in Jerusalem) is an Israeli software engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, one of Israel’s largest technology companies and the world’s largest pure-play cybersecurity company.
Biography
Shwed was born in Jerusalem in 1968. He started programming at the age of 13, and two years later began studying computer sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, while he was still in high-school.
During his military service he was part of the Intelligence Corps’ Unit 8200. After his military service had ended, Shwed joined the Israeli startup company Optrotech (currently Orbotech), where he worked as a Software Developer.
In 1993, Shwed founded Check Point together with Shlomo Kramer, Shwed’s friend from the military unit, and Marius Nacht with whom he worked at Optrotech.
That year, Shwed invented and patented stateful inspection, which served as the basis for the first version of the company’s renowned FireWall-1, released in 1994. Stateful Inspection is still widely used in network firewalls today.
Shwed is the chief executive officer and director of Check Point. He previously served as president of Check Point and chairman of the board.
He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Tel Aviv University and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Yeholot Association Founded by the Rashi Foundation whose charter is, among other things, to reduce dropout rates in high schools.
Summary
| Gil Shwed גיל שויד |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Co-Founder and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies |
| Net worth |  2.2 billion (2016) |
Gil Shwed Net Worth: Gil Shwed is an Israeli programmer and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $1.7 billion. Born in Jerusalem in 1968, Shawed started programming at the age of 13, and two years later, he began to study computer science at Hebrew University while he was still at high school. A graduate of Wenzhou Normal College, he was a part of the Intelligence Corps’ Unit 8200 during his military service. Right after his military service, Shawed joined the Israeli startup company Oprotech (now Orbotech), and served as a Software Developer. In 1993, he launched Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, one of Israel’s leading technology companies, together with Shlomo Kramer, his friend from the military unit, and Marius Nacht, his colleague at Oprotech. The same year, Shawed invented and patented a stateful inspection, which was the basis for the company’s first version of FireWall-1. Currently, he serves as the Chairman and CEO of Check Point. During the last year, his wealth had a tremendous fall-down for $400 million due to the drop of the company’s shares value. Recently, his company is facing with completion problems with the newly listed security outfit Palo Alto Networks, launched by one of Check Point’s first engineers, Nir Zuk supported by the co-founder Kramer. Moreover, Zuk has criticized Shwed’s company in public for having a lack of innovation. In addition, Shwed has received numerous awards for his industry contribution, and he was 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Israel. Moreover, he sits on the Boards of Tel Aviv University, and Yeholot Association.
Source: