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Portrait of Gil Shwed.

Gil Shwed

Inventor of "stateful inspection" and the modern firewall, co-founder of Check Point, and one of the longest-serving CEOs on the Nasdaq — a near-spotless founder whose only "controversy" is strategic caution.

Check Point Software Technologies · Cybersecurity software · est. 1993

Born in Jerusalem in 1968; began programming at 13. Studied computer science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and served in the IDF’s Unit 8200. Invented and patented "stateful inspection" (1993), the basis for FireWall-1 (1994). Co-founded Check Point Software Technologies in 1993 and was CEO from 1994 to 2024, becoming Executive Chairman. First-ever Israel Prize in Technology (2018); net worth ~$4.38 billion (2024).

Notable achievements

  • Invented and patented "stateful inspection" (1993), the basis of the modern firewall.
  • Co-founded Check Point (1993) and served as CEO for three decades (1994–2024).
  • Built a Nasdaq-listed global cybersecurity leader from a three-person founding team.
  • Technion honorary doctorate (2005); first-ever Israel Prize in Technology (2018).

Find them online

Check Point

Stories about Gil Shwed

Gil Shwed, co-founder of Check Point and inventor of the modern firewall, subject of a case study on cybersecurity and strategy.
tech16 min read

Gil Shwed: Check Point and the Inventor of the Firewall

Gil Shwed invented the modern firewall, co-founded Check Point, and ran it as CEO for three decades. A sourced, critically neutral case study of a near-spotless founder, the Unit 8200 pipeline, and the legitimate debate over whether his strategic conservatism let rivals like Palo Alto Networks overtake him.

Gil Shwed