Richest Indian in the US: Jay Chaudhry’s rise from Himalayan hut to multi-billionaire
Once living in a house with no running water or power, tycoon now leads Zscaler worth $31b
He used to walk 4km each way to go to school in the foothills of the Himalayas, in northern India. His parents never went to school. They lived in a house with no electricity and no running water.
Now, Jay Chaudhry, 66, is the richest Indian-origin business mogul in the US, with a net worth of about $12.65 billion, as per Forbes (as of December 9, 2024).
His journey is fascinating tale of grit and vision: His parents were small-scale farmers who grew wheat, corn and rice in Panoh, a village in the Una district of Punjab (now Himachal Pradesh).
“We had no electricity till I finished by 8th grade; we got running water after I finished my 10th grade. I learnt hard work, integrity and honesty from my parents,” Chaudhry told Fortt Knox channel.
His parents toiled in the farm the whole day long – and made sure he got a good education. “It was a self-sufficient, self-sustained village life,” he recalls. There wasn't much in terms of technology. He first sat in a car after 12th grade.
As a student, Chaudhry excelled, and found his way to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
Chaudhry took off the first flight in his life when he came to America to do his Masters in electronics and computer engineering. The rest is history.
Perseverance
Now 66, Chaudhry is a remarkable example of success through perseverance, innovation, and visionary thinking.
He never really envisioned himself as an entrepreneur, let alone a billionaire or an industry pioneer.
“I have no background of entrepreneurship in my family of small-scale farmers. So if you asked me, ‘Did I ever think about becoming an entrepreneur in my childhood [or] early years of my career?’ Not really,” Chaudhry told CNBC.
Yet Chaudhry had the knack for staying ahead of the curve.
He recognised and invested in emerging trends, noting: “If Marc Andreessen [Netscape co-founder] could start a company — he was a young guy [right] out of college — why shouldn’t I start a company?”
Lifelong learning
Chaudhry never stopped learning. After earning his engineering degree from IIT (BHU, Varanasi, Batch 1980), he went on to complete his MBA and master’s in computer engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
He considers his parents and his village life as his best teacher.
“I’ve had lots of mentors along the way. I’d been lucky,” he said.
He has immersed himself in the spaghetti of codes that define our digital lives today, giving him a number of breakthroughs in the field.
Chaudhry is a serial entrepreneur, and went on building multiple companies.
His first was SecureIT in 1996, which was sold for $70 million in an all-stock deal two years later. That was followed by AirDefense, CipherTrust and CoreHarbor in the early 2000s, all of which were ultimately acquired.
In 2007, at the age of 47 after doing four companies in Atlanta, he founded Zscaler, a cybersecurity firm, based in California’s Silicon Valley. The company went public in 2018.
Chaudhry and his family own about 40 per cent of Zscaler, listed on Nasdaq, with a market capitalisation of $31.63 billion as of December 9, 2024, thus making him the richest Indian-American entrepreneur in the US.
Cybersecurity guru
Chaudhry is a trailblazer in the cybersecurity industry and currently ranks No. 192 in global wealth standings.
“Atlanta has been a wonderful city for me. And America is a wonderful country. I feel like I’m a lucky product of the ‘American Dream’. It’s an amazing country,” said Chaudhry.
After doing four startup companies, which he later sold, he didn’t want to do a typical start-up.
“Most start-ups get sold. I wanted to do something big, something lasting,” said Chaudhry.
He took inspiration from Marc Benioff of Salesforce, a successful cloud-based software company that provides businesses with tools for customer relationship management.
Zscaler with a market capilisation of about $31.63 billion (as of December 9), is a cloud-native cybersecurity version of Salesforce. He found in Silicon Valley the core engineering team with the expertise he needed to launch Zscaler.
Today, in an increasingly cloud-first world, Zscaler has found his niche helping businesses protect their digital assets and stay ahead by providing security, performance, and simplicity in one platform.
Unlike traditional hardware-based security solutions, Zscaler's “Zero Trust” Exchange architecture secures users, applications, and data without relying on network boundaries. This is particularly beneficial for organisations embracing remote work and multi-cloud environments, reduing operational costs and enhances agility, allowing organisations to adapt to evolving cybersecurity needs quickly.
5 lessons from Jay Chaudhry
These are the five key lessons from his journey:
1. Embrace the power of education
Lesson: Education is a lifelong asset. Chaudhry’s humble beginnings in a small Indian village didn’t deter him from pursuing academic excellence. He earned an engineering degree from IIT Banaras Hindu University and went on to complete his MBA and master’s in computer engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Takeaway: Never stop learning; education can be the foundation for breaking barriers and achieving success.
2. Recognise opportunities in emerging trends
Lesson: Innovate by addressing future needs. Chaudhry identified the rising importance of cybersecurity in a cloud-based world and founded Zscaler, which focuses on secure cloud solutions.
Takeaway: Stay ahead of the curve by recognising and investing in emerging trends that address evolving challenges.
3. Take calculated risks
Lesson: Success often requires stepping out of your comfort zone. Chaudhry left high-paying jobs in the US tech industry to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, founding companies like AirDefense, CipherTrust, and Zscaler.
Takeaway: Taking risks is essential, but they should be well-researched and aligned with your expertise and vision.
4. Focus on customer-centric solutions
Lesson: Address real-world problems with innovative solutions. Zscaler's success lies in its customer-first approach, offering scalable, secure cloud services tailored to organizational needs.
Takeaway: Always prioritise solving customer pain points with practical and efficient solutions.
5. Stay humble and grounded
Lesson: Wealth and success should inspire humility and generosity. Despite his immense wealth, Chaudhry is known for his humility and commitment to giving back. He attributes his success to hard work, perseverance, and staying true to his values.
Takeaway: Let your achievements inspire and uplift others, remaining connected to your roots.