Jay Chaudhry launched his first startup in the mid-1990s intent on carving out a new place in the market for his idea. Through his resilience, innovative vision, and optimistic mindset, Chaudhry launched multiple startups over the past three decades and rose to international prominence, including a place on Forbes’ 400 list of richest people in America.
In this episode of the Net Effects podcast, co-hosts Les Ottolenghi and Mark Bavisotto talk with Jay about disruptive technology and ideas, security trends and evolution, customer service, and a culture of change.
Episode highlights:
- Money doesn’t make you happy. Jay contends that while we all need some “basic things,” a mindset to be happy without an attachment to money is essential. A curious mind leads to a journey of discovering passions; learning and hard work is the core essence of life.
- Pioneer where there is opportunity. New areas of innovation are good because that’s where there is room for betterment and improvement. Starting a company in a relatively undiscovered space is a more impactful entrance into the market (rather than an existing space with a lot of competitors).
- “Kings used to protect themselves with castles until the air force came around.” At one time, castle-and-moat security models were popular. Now security options include a cloud-based switchboard-style, like Zscaler revolutionized, that allows customers to immediately connect to security that fits their scope and requirements. This is one example of anticipating how customers’ needs change over time.
- The pace of innovation is happening at a faster and faster pace. Therefore, people need to embrace a mindset of change. Our life has become so much richer through things like having mobile news, music, and video calls with family at our fingertips. All of these changes are disrupting incumbents. It’s Darwinism 101 — the technologies are powerful.
- You need to disrupt yourself on an ongoing basis. Otherwise, you won’t get better or succeed. There’s always a first time for all of us, so fearlessly learn, adapt, and change.
Listen to the full episode for more insight and conversation around digital, social, and personal transformation with Jay Chaudhry.
About Jay Chaudhry and Zscaler: Jay Chaudhry is the CEO, chairman, and founder of Zscaler. An industry innovator and entrepreneur, Jay’s expertise spans engineering, sales, marketing, and management. His considerable work in the security sector has made him a trusted advisor for many enterprise CIOs and CISOs.
Zscaler enables the world’s leading organizations to securely transform their networks and applications for a mobile and cloud-first world. Its flagship services, Zscaler Internet Access, and Zscaler Private Access, create fast, secure connections between users and applications, regardless of device, location, or network. Zscaler services are 100% cloud-delivered and offer the simplicity, enhanced security, and improved user experience that traditional appliances or hybrid solutions are unable to match. Used in more than 185 countries, Zscaler operates the world’s largest cloud security platform, protecting thousands of enterprises and government agencies from cyberattacks and data loss.
