Gil Shwed

Gil Shwed
Born	1968 Jerusalem, Israel
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, software engineer
Years active	1993–present
Known for	Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Check Point; originator of the modern computer firewall

Gil Shwed (; born 1968) is an Israeli entrepreneur and software engineer. He co-established and currently holds the position of Executive Chairman at Check Point, one of Israel's foremost technology corporations and a global leader specializing solely in cybersecurity. Shwed served as CEO from 1994 until 2024, marking the longest leadership period for any company listed on Nasdaq. He is widely acknowledged as the originator of the contemporary computer firewall.

Early life

Shwed was born in Jerusalem and began coding at the age of 13. While still attending high school, he commenced his computer science studies at Hebrew University. During his mandatory military service, he was part of the Intelligence Corps' Unit 8200, a renowned incubator for Israel’s technological talent. Following his service, he worked as a software developer at Optrotech, an Israeli startup now known as Orbotech.

Career

In 1993, Shwed co-founded Check Point alongside Shlomo Kramer, a former military associate, and Marius Nacht, a colleague from Optrotech. That same year, he developed and secured a patent for stateful inspection, which became the cornerstone technology of the company’s flagship product FireWall-1, launched in 1994. This innovation continues to be fundamental in current network firewall solutions.

Shwed assumed the roles of CEO and director at Check Point in 1994, having previously held titles such as president and chairman. By 2018, he was Check Point’s largest individual shareholder with a 19.1% ownership stake valued near US$3.4 billion. The second-largest shareholder was Massachusetts Financial Services with a 7.7% stake worth approximately $1.3 billion.

Throughout Shwed’s tenure, Check Point concentrated on advancing "fifth generation" cybersecurity technologies aimed at addressing vulnerabilities revealed by significant cyberattacks like WannaCry and NotPetya in 2017. He has pointed out that numerous organizations remain "two generations behind" in their security approaches, underscoring a pivotal moment for the cybersecurity industry.

As of January 2024, Forbes valued Shwed’s net worth at US$4.38 billion, placing him 682nd worldwide and ninth among Israel's richest individuals.

In 2024, Shwed stepped down as CEO to take on the role of Executive Chairman of the Board.

Boards

Shwed is a member of the Board of Trustees at Tel Aviv University and chairs its Youth University Board of Trustees. He also serves on the board of the Yeholot Association, founded by the Rashi Foundation with the mission to reduce high school dropout rates.

Acknowledgments

In June 2005, Shwed was honored with an honorary doctorate from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement in 2002 for his groundbreaking influence on business and technology.

He was recognized as "Person of the Year" by Globes magazine in 2014. In 2018, he became the inaugural recipient of the Israel Prize in technology for his pioneering work in cybersecurity and innovation.

External links

• Biography of Gil Shwed on Check Point's official website
• Profile of Shwed at Forbes
• Bloomberg Businessweek profile of Shwed
• Masters of The Universe 14 Years Later article