Meet the Cybersecurity Billionaire Behind Zscaler: Jay Chaudhry’s success story

By Archita LotaniThursday August 14, 2025

What motivates someone to dream beyond survival when their reality provides none of the essentials? Jay Chaudhry transitioned from a village in Himachal with no electricity to establishing Zscaler, one of the world’s leading cloud security companies. Today, he is recognised as a cybersecurity billionaire with a net worth of $17.9 billion. His journey from rags to riches is not just about innovating something unique; it is about creating something so influential that it sparked a revolution in the cybersecurity industry.

Jay Chaudhry Biography

Name	Jay Chaudhry
Born	26 August 1958 in Panoh, Himachal Pradesh
Education	Master’s from the University of Cincinnati
Known as	Founder, CEO & Chairman of Zscaler
Net Worth [2025]	$17.9 billion

Jay Chaudhry’s Early Life & Education

Source: The Times of India

Born in Panoh, Jay is the youngest son of Bhagat and Surjeet Chaudhry, who were small-scale farmers. His village did not have running water or electricity until he was a teenager. He used to walk nearly 4 km every day to the neighbouring village, Dhusara, to attend high school.

His childhood was simple, but with clarity. He had no distractions or shortcuts, which built pure intentions in him. This early foundation became his successful journey’s edge by making him comfortable with uncertainties and willing to take calculated risks in his entrepreneurial journey.

Afterwards, Jay earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from IIT-BHU, Varanasi. In 1980, at the age of 22, he moved to the United States to attend the University of Cincinnati. At the university, he pursued a master’s degree in industrial engineering, computer engineering, and marketing. Additionally, he has also completed the executive management program at Harvard Business School.

Jay Chaudhry’s entrepreneurial journey

Year	Company	Outcome
1996	SecureIT	Acquired by Verisign
2000	CipherTrust	Acquired by Secure Computing Corporation
2000	CoreHarbor	Acquired by USi/AT&T
2002	AirDefense	Acquired by Motorola
2008	Zscaler	IPO in 2018

IBM, Unisys, and NCR

Before venturing into startups, Jay worked in engineering, sales, marketing and management at IBM, Unisys, and NCR.

SecureIT

In 1996, Jay and his wife Jyoti founded SecureIT, an internet security service provider, with their life savings. In 1998, Verisign acquired SecureIT, and then Jay moved to San Fransciso to lead Verisign’s security services division. He worked at Verisign till 1999 and then left the company to establish another venture.

CipherTrust & CoreHarbor

In 2000, Jay launched an email security company called Cipher Trust. He got the idea of launching this email security company while working at SecureIT, where he became familiar with the possible types of security issues, vulnerabilities, and attacks. Later, in 2006, Secure Computing Corporation acquired CipherTrust for $274 million.

In 2000, Jay also launched CoreHarbor, a managed e-commerce platform that was later acquired by USi/AT&T.

AirDefense

In 2002, Jay launched a wireless security company called AirDefense, which operated as a provider of a wireless intrusion prevention system, monitoring airwaves and traffic between laptops and WiFi access points. In 2008, AirDefense was acquired by Motorola.

Zscaler: The Revolutionary Cloud Security

In 2008, Jay founded Zscaler to build the salesforce of cloud security, inspired by Marc Benioff. While everyone was talking about Zero Trust and remote security, Jay established the groundbreaking ‘Zero Trust’ security architecture that enables enterprises to securely connect users to apps across devices and geographical boundaries. The company addresses the growing need for secure internet access and data protection in the growing digital world.

In March 2018, Zscaler went public on the Nasdaq. Since then, Zscaler has become a global leader in cloud security-based cybersecurity by safeguarding over 5,000 businesses worldwide.

Zscaler’s Business Model: How it makes money?

Zscaler runs on a subscription-based SaaS model. Its core product is Zero Trust Exchange, which allows businesses to securely connect users to applications without exposing their network. In addition, the company earns money through enterprise clients by offering access to scalable, cloud-native security solutions.

Impact of Zscaler after COVID

Zscaler was already built for a world where remote work was the norm, and when the pandemic hit, companies demanded secure access for thousands of remote employees. Its cloud-first approach was the major driver for the company, as businesses did not have to rely on VPNs or hardware firewalls. Thus, Zscaler got rapid recognition as a cybersecurity backbone after COVID.

Jay Chaudhry’s leadership at Zscaler

Jay, as the CEO & Chairman of Zscaler, is actively engaged in strategising and innovating features for the company. He leads with clarity and conviction while trusting his team to execute. His leadership style is simple, with a customer-focused approach and acting fast while considering long-term outcomes.

According to a Forbes report, Jay and his family own around 40% of the Nasdaq-listed firm Zscaler. Therefore, his considerable work in the security technology sector has made him one of the trusted advisors for many enterprise CIOs and CISOs.

Jay Chaudhry’s View on Cybersecurity Trends

Jay believes that the future of cybersecurity is being cloud-native, AI-powered, and user-centric. In interviews, he often emphasises on need to move away from perimeter-based security models. His prediction for Zero Trust before it became mainstream shows how far ahead he was in thinking. According to him, real security means assuming breach, verifying everything, and trusting nothing by default.

The Philanthropist\ Jay Chaudhry

Jay makes regular trips to Panoh to help his community grow. In 2011, he arranged a mobile medical lab in his village to give older residents blood tests and other checkups. In 2022, he gifted $1 million to IIT-BHU to fund the school’s entrepreneurship centre and software innovation centre. In the same year, he also donated $3 million to the Bay Area Chapter of the American India Foundation [AIF], an organisation that is committed to improving the lives of India’s underprivileged, to support COVID relief efforts. In 2023, he donated around $1 million to the Sankara Eye Foundation, an organisation with a mission to eradicate curable blindness in India.

Awards & Recognitions

In 2015, Jay was recognised as the Alumnus of the Year by IIT-BHU, Varanasi.
In 2018, he was selected as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award program in Northern California.
In 2019, he was recognised as the Alumnus of the Century in Making by IIT-BHU, Varanasi.
For 2021-22, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna award by IIT-BHU, Varanasi.
In 2002, he was the recipient of the American India Foundation’s Corporate Leadership Award.
Jay is the only Indian-origin member in the top 10 of Forbes’ richest immigrant billionaires list.

Lessons from Jay Chaudhry for aspiring entrepreneurs

Start small, think big: Jay and his wife established their first startup with their life savings. So do not wait for funding, start with as much as you have and keep planning how you will scale it.
Solve Problems that matter: Jay Chaudhry’s every company tackled a real security issue. Don’t get influenced by any trend and establish your startup. Trends are for a short period, so you will eventually face a downfall in demand. Hence, solve problems that matter and give you long-term returns.
Stay Patient & Consistent: Jay did not build his net worth of $17.9 billion overnight, nor did he achieve success from his ventures in one night. He was consistent and patient in solving problems and expanding his company’s presence. Thus, without patience and consistency, you are not going to achieve anything.
Stay connected with your roots: Even after being recognised as a Cybersecurity billionaire, Jay is connected to his village. He is making efforts to give back what his village provided to him. Hence, never forget or lose your roots.

Conclusion

Jay Chaudhry’s journey from a small village in Himachal to becoming the Zscaler founder and one of the top Indian tech billionaires has built a legacy that is not just about the numbers. It is about the outcome of years of clarity, risk, and relentless focus. His success story is a true testament to vision, execution, and consistency in the long run. Thus, what he created with Zscaler did not just make him wealthy, it redefined cybersecurity for the world.