EP 91: How George Kurtz (CEO, Crowdstrike) Built A $65B+ Company

George Kurtz is the CEO of CrowdStrike, a $65B+ public cybersecurity company. In this episode, George reveals the surprising intricacies of paying ransom and discusses how CrowdStrike is dealing with increasing cybercrime in the age of AI. We also talk about CrowdStrike’s early days, including how the company found product market fit and the operating frameworks that brought them to the forefront of cybersecurity today. (0:00) Intro(1:52) The Journey to Founding CrowdStrike(2:38) The Difference Between Stopping Malware and Stopping Breaches(3:27) Inspiration Behind CrowdStrike's Unique Approach(4:30) Challenges of Building a New Architecture in Cybersecurity(5:10) The Decision to Leave McAfee and Start CrowdStrike(8:11) Early Days of CrowdStrike: Building the Product and Offering Services(9:45) Unexpected Beginnings of CrowdStrike's Intelligence Product(10:33) The Role of Incident Response in Cybersecurity(11:16) Journey to Becoming a Software Business(14:36) Evolution of CrowdStrike's Product Offering(19:54) The Importance of Building Trust and Credibility in Cybersecurity(20:27) The Role of Nation States and Cybercrime in the Growth of Cybersecurity Threats(25:09) Experience of Handling High-Profile Cybersecurity Incidents(26:16) The Importance of Having the Right Investors and Board Members(34:08) The Strategy Behind Competing with Big Players Like Microsoft(42:09) The Importance of Having the Right Team and Leadership(43:53) The Challenges and Rewards of Scaling a Cybersecurity Company(48:49) Hiring and Retaining the Right People(49:49) Understanding Different Types of Salespeople(51:52) The Importance of Marketing and PR in Business(55:59) The Role of Nation State, E Crime, and Hacktivism in Cybersecurity(1:05:03) Impact of AI on Cybersecurity(1:09:36) The Importance of Password Security(1:10:41) New SEC Reporting Rule for Cybersecurity Breaches(1:14:48) The Role of AI in the Future of Cybersecurity(1:17:42) The Journey to Entrepreneurship(1:19:58) Importance o