Growth Strategy

From $18B to $300B: How Nikesh Arora Rebuilt Palo Alto Networks

Aug 17, 2026 · 59:10

Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, argues the AI cybersecurity boom is only beginning, with AI attacks compressing vulnerability-to-exploit time from 55 days to minutes. He details Palo Alto’s new 4-hour patch capability, explains why he signed Jensen Huang’s open-source AI letter, predicts the entire software industry will be rewritten in 10 years, and breaks down the playbook behind 40+ acquisitions in eight years, including the $28 billion CyberArk deal. He also describes hiring AI-native talent through hackathons, defends LinkedIn as a scouting tool, and shares lessons from Larry Page at Google and Masayoshi Son at SoftBank—including doubling down on winners. He expects market gyrations ahead but insists AI demand, and security’s role, is unstoppable.

Inside AppLovin’s $100B Ad Engine

Aug 14, 2026 · 1:26:38

AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi and CTO Giovanni Ge explain how AppLovin rebuilt its ad engine with Axon 2 after a 92% post-IPO stock drop, driving recovery from $5.5B to a $100B+ company. Ge details replacing tree-based models with neural embeddings so predictions became more accurate and GPU-cheaper, and says Axon 2's success came from deciding what not to build. Foroughi describes keeping engineering at ~100 people, using AI to elevate rather than replace engineers, expanding from mobile gaming into e-commerce via a napkin-designed data pipeline, and moving ads into connected TV and open web. They discuss why AI-generated ads need human guardrails, why taste matters more than building speed, and the path to a trillion-dollar valuation requiring $30B+ annual cash flow, plus buybacks during the downturn.