Jay Chaudhry’s career has seen a myriad successes.
The 66-year-old co-founded his first company, SecureIT, in 1996 with his wife. That sold in 1998 for $70 million in an all-stock deal. He then founded three other companies, all of which were acquired: AirDefense, CipherTrust and CoreHarbor.
He is now CEO of Zscaler, a cybersecurity company he founded in 2008. Chaudhry has an estimated net worth of nearly $17 billion, according to Forbes.
Chaudhry credits his ascent in part to the teams he’s built. “Nothing significant gets done by an individual person,” he says. But, ultimately, “the most important person for my success,” he says, is his wife, Jyoti Chaudhry.
“Without her, none of this thing would have happened.”
‘She comes from a strong finance background’
When the two founded their first company together, it was clear Chaudhry’s wife brought a unique skillset to the mix. “She comes from a strong finance background and MBA,” he says, “and I come more from an engineering, product background.”
“I do not know how to incorporate a company,” he says. “She does. I never, ever figured out the payrolls and benefits of a company.” That’s where she stepped in and filled in critical roles to ensure SecureIT could grow.
Even at home, he jokes, “I have no clue about our own financials.” That’s her jurisdiction.
‘I’m a risk taker. She’s a lot more conservative’
Their different personalities have also helped.
“I’m a risk taker,” he says. “She’s a lot more conservative. If I get excited, I’m ready to jump off the cliff. She can pull me back.” Chaudhry says his wife served as a good balance to ensure they were taking measured leaps.
And regardless of the situation, she’s “calm all the time.” That’s useful in the high stress situations that can arise in young companies.
“I often tell people,” says Chaudhry, “you want to do a great startup, get your spouse involved as a partner.”
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