Michael Xie

Early Life and Education

Michael Xie was born in China and later moved to North America in the 1990s to study engineering. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University and a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Manitoba in Canada. His educational background in engineering and computer science provided a strong foundation for his future endeavors in cybersecurity.

Rise to Success

In 2000, Michael Xie co-founded Fortinet with his brother Ken Xie in Sunnyvale, California. The company's initial product was FortiGate, a physical firewall, which marked the beginning of their foray into network security. Under Xie's guidance as CTO, Fortinet has developed a wide range of cybersecurity solutions, including firewalls, endpoint security, and intrusion detection systems. The company went public in November 2009.

Key Business Strategies

Xie's leadership has been instrumental in shaping Fortinet's technological direction. He emphasized innovation through integration, building efficient, scalable systems that combine security, speed, and simplicity. Fortinet's focus on the convergence of networking and security, and its development of the Fortinet Security Fabric, has been key to its growth. Xie has also overseen the development of new capabilities in network monitoring, detection, and incident response.

Philanthropy

While specific philanthropy amounts are not readily available, Xie's impact is evident through Fortinet's commitment to training initiatives. In September 2021, Fortinet pledged to train one million people in support of President Joe Biden's call to action to address the talent shortage in American cybersecurity.