Early Life
Gil Shwed was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1968, shortly after the city's reunification during the Six-Day War. His interest in programming began at a young age; he started learning at 13 and two years later, began studying computer sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. While still in high school. During his military service, Shwed served in the Intelligence Corps' Unit 8200, where he worked on securing classified networks. These early experiences shaped his understanding of cybersecurity.
Rise to Success
In 1993, at the age of 25, Shwed co-founded Check Point Software Technologies with Shlomo Kramer and Marius Nacht. That same year, he invented and patented stateful inspection, a groundbreaking technology that formed the foundation of Check Point's FireWall-1, released in 1994. Stateful inspection is still widely used in network firewalls today. Under his leadership as CEO from 1994 to December 2024, Check Point grew into a global leader in cybersecurity, protecting over 100,000 organizations worldwide. The company went public on the NASDAQ in 1996.
Key Business Strategies
Check Point's success can be attributed to several key strategies. From the start, Shwed emphasized the need to innovate and adapt to the evolving threat landscape, particularly in a world increasingly reliant on the internet. The company focused on developing comprehensive, collaborative security solutions to prevent cyberattacks. Expanding into new markets was critical, with Shwed recognizing the importance of the U.S. market early on. Check Point established a strong presence in Silicon Valley. Shwed's commitment to building a global organization with diverse talent and respect for local values has been crucial to the company's international success.
Philanthropy
Beyond his professional achievements, Gil Shwed is involved in several philanthropic and educational endeavors. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Tel Aviv University and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University. He is also involved with the Yeholot Association, dedicated to reducing high school dropout rates.