Early Life and Education
Ken Xie was born and raised in China, demonstrating exceptional academic aptitude from a young age. He earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University. He later pursued further education in the United States, earning another Master of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Rise to Success
Xie's career started with founding Systems Integration Solutions (SIS) in 1993. He co-founded NetScreen Technologies in 1996, building the first ASIC-based firewall/VPN appliance. NetScreen was later acquired by Juniper Networks for $4 billion in 2004. After this, Xie founded Fortinet with his brother, Michael Xie, in 2000. He currently serves as CEO of Fortinet.
Key Business Strategies
Xie's leadership at Fortinet has been marked by strategic acquisitions and a focus on innovation in cybersecurity. His business strategy involves developing integrated, high-performance cybersecurity solutions, and expanding Fortinet's product offerings. Fortinet's success is attributed to its strong focus on research and development, as well as its integrated Security Fabric approach, which provides comprehensive protection to customers.
Philanthropy
Ken Xie, along with his brother Michael Xie, runs a private foundation through which they have contributed shares of Fortinet. These contributions have resulted in over $30 million in income tax deductions since 2009.