Better me
Innovation faces
The AI Ally
A pioneer in deep learning, French scientist Yann Le Cun embodies a humanistic vision of artificial intelligence. From his early r…
Better companiesInnovation faces
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
article
The cyber magician
Cofounder and CEO of Wiz, one of the most dynamic cybersecurity companies in the world, Assaf Rappaport works towards innovation that supports a safer and more inclusive digital future.
A path of excellence
Born in 1983 in Israel, Assaf Rappaport developed an early passion for science and technology. He joined the elite Talpiot program of the Israeli Defense Forces, which combines advanced studies with military training. After his service, he earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by a Master’s degree from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
In 2012, he co-founded Adallom, a company specializing in security for SaaS (software as a service) applications, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2015 for $320 million. At 32 years old, he then became general manager of the multinational’s R&D center in Israel, overseeing around 1,500 employees.
Cloud security for everyone
In early 2020, at 37, Assaf Rappaport left Microsoft to cofound Wiz with his former Adallom colleagues. As companies were massively migrating to the cloud, their security tools often remained inadequate, complex, and fragmented. Wiz (short for “Wizard”) offers a breakthrough with a cloud-native architecture, an agentless approach (no software installation on systems), and a unified security vision.
The platform integrates seamlessly with existing cloud environments, enabling rapid deployment. Within minutes, it provides complete visibility across all organizational resources without disrupting operations. Wiz’s Security Graph, which maps relationships between resources, configurations, identities, and vulnerabilities, helps identify potential attack paths so as to prioritize risks and corrective actions. This model embodies Rappaport’s vision of cloud security: accessible, continuous, and proactive.
Success came fast. In less than three years, Wiz became a global leader, protecting more than 50 % of Fortune 100 companies. In March 2025, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced the acquisition of Wiz for $32 billion, the largest acquisition in its history.
Serving the common good
By simplifying cybersecurity, Assaf Rappaport is democratizing access to high-level protection for all organizations, be they large or small, in a rapidly accelerating digital economy. For him, Wiz’s success is not only a technological or commercial victory but also serves a societal mission: building a safer, more sovereign digital world where data protection is a right, not a privilege.
Assaf Rappaport also advocates for diversity and inclusion in the tech sector, convinced that diverse perspectives are essential to meet cybersecurity challenges. He thus represents a human-centered innovation, at the intersection of technological excellence and social commitment.
