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Jay Chaudhry Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth26 August 1958 (sources also list 1959)

Age61–62 (as of 2020)

BirthplacePanoh village, Una district, Himachal Pradesh, India

ProfessionBusiness executive, entrepreneur

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpouseJyoti Chaudhry

FamilyThree children: Yash Chaudhry, Samir Chaudhry, Simi Chaudhry

Jay Chaudhry Biography

Jay Chaudhry is an Indian‑American entrepreneur and technology executive best known as the founder and long‑time CEO of cloud security company Zscaler. He,

Early life and background

Jay Chaudhry was born Jagtar Singh Chaudhary in Panoh village in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh. Sources list his birthdate as 26 August 1958, with an alternate reference placing his year of birth as 1959. He grew up in a rural setting; his parents were Bhagat Singh, a farmer, and Surjeet Kaur, a homemaker. Jay attended high school in the nearby village of Dhusara and later completed a B.Tech. in electronics engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) in Varanasi.

After IIT, he moved to the United States to continue his studies. He earned multiple graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati, including master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering, and in industrial engineering and management, along with an MBA in marketing. He also completed an executive management program in marketing at Harvard Business School. Chaudhry later settled in the U.S., became an American national and lives in Saratoga, California.

Career

Chaudhry built his early career in technology and management roles with firms such as NCR, IBM, Unisys and IQ Software. Inspired by the startup environment of Silicon Valley, he began founding security and networking companies in the 1990s and 2000s.

In December 1996, Chaudhry and his wife Jyoti left their jobs to launch SecureIT in Atlanta. SecureIT merged with Verisign in 1998, and Chaudhry took on a vice‑presidential role at Verisign after the transaction. He went on to found and lead a string of security companies: CoreHarbor (founded in 2000 and later acquired by AT&T), CipherTrust (founded in 2000 and acquired by McAfee in 2006), and AirDefense, where he served as CEO and chairman until the company was acquired by Motorola in 2008. He also served a period as vice chairman of Secure Computing, another company that was acquired by McAfee.

In 2007 Chaudhry founded Zscaler in San Jose, a company focused on cloud security. He has led Zscaler since its founding and guided the company through its 2018 public listing on Nasdaq. Zscaler provides cloud and data security services to hundreds of large enterprises and, as of the period covered in the available information, reported more than 5,000 customers including many Global 2000 companies and major technology firms. Chaudhry and his family were reported to hold a significant equity stake in Zscaler.

Awards and recognition

Chaudhry’s work in enterprise security and technology entrepreneurship has been acknowledged by industry and regional organizations. His honors include the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Northern California regional award and recognition from InformationWeek and SC Media. He has also been listed in industry rankings and regional who’s‑who profiles.

Public profile

Chaudhry is known for a private, business‑focused public profile. He and his wife Jyoti, who is also identified as a business executive, live in Saratoga, California and have three children: two sons, Yash and Samir Chaudhry, and a daughter, Simi Chaudhry. He maintains ties to his birthplace, visiting India regularly and supporting community initiatives there, including arranging medical services in his home village.

In commentary reported in the press, Chaudhry has described his principal motivation as improving internet and cloud safety rather than personal wealth. He is also described as a fitness enthusiast who enjoys hiking and white‑water rafting.

Latest updates

Zscaler completed its initial public offering in 2018 and saw notable share price appreciation during the COVID‑19 pandemic period, with reported increases in the company’s market valuation through 2020 and 2021. Around that time, Chaudhry was reported in rankings of wealthy individuals in India and the United States, reflecting the market value of his ownership stake in Zscaler.

Personal details

Physically, sources list Chaudhry’s height at about 175 cm (approximately 5 feet 9 inches), with black hair and black eyes. He follows a vegetarian diet. His siblings include an elder brother, Daljeet Singh Chaudhary, and three sisters. His formative years included long walks to school and strong academic performance, leading to scholarships that enabled his move to the United States for graduate study.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Jay Chaudhry, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Zscaler (founder & CEO)

Founded Zscaler in 2007 and led the company through an IPO in 2018; company provides cloud security services to thousands of customers worldwide.

2007–present
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded multiple cybersecurity and messaging security firms including SecureIT, CoreHarbor, CipherTrust, AirDefense and Zscaler
  2. Led Zscaler through a 2018 IPO on Nasdaq
  3. Received the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Northern California regional award
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Jay Chaudhry born?

26 August 1958 (sources also list 1959)

What is Jay Chaudhry known for?

Business executive, entrepreneur

What is Jay Chaudhry’s marital status?

Married

Who is Jay Chaudhry married to?

Jyoti Chaudhry