Early Life
Gil Shwed was born in Jerusalem in 1968, shortly after the Six-Day War. His early interest in technology began at the age of 13 when he started programming. This early passion led him to study computer science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem while still in high school. During his military service, he served in the Intelligence Corps' Unit 8200.
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 technology, which formed the foundation for Check Point's FireWall-1, revolutionizing cybersecurity. Under his leadership as CEO, Check Point went public in 1996, and expanded into other areas, including VPNs, endpoint security and cloud protection.
Key Business Strategies
Shwed's leadership focused on innovation and anticipating future cybersecurity threats. He emphasized the development of advanced security solutions, leading Check Point to become a global leader in network security. His strategies included expanding the company’s offerings to include a range of cybersecurity solutions and protecting over 100,000 organizations globally. Shwed stepped down as CEO in December 2024, after serving for decades.
Philanthropy
Shwed is involved in philanthropy, supporting education and social causes. He sits on the boards of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University and Yeholot Association, which works to reduce dropout rates in high schools.
