> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Lessons from Assaf Rappaport
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-assaf-rappaport/
- Published: 2026-03-14T14:45:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-18T22:07:32.000Z
- Description: Assaf Rappaport is the co-founder and CEO of Wiz whose customer-centric approach and military-honed discipline drove exceptional cloud-security growth, making his career a study in hypergrowth, team dynamics, customer insight, and the evolution of cloud architecture.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, Operations, Business Leaders & Executives Profiles

Assaf Rappaport is the visionary co-founder and CEO of Wiz, a cloud security leader that achieved unprecedented growth through a blend of military-honed discipline and customer-centric innovation. Having previously co-founded Adallom and served as the head of Microsoft’s Israel R&D Center, Rappaport’s career serves as a masterclass in hyper-growth, team dynamics, and the evolution of cloud architecture.

![Visual summary of operating lessons from Assaf Rappaport.](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/07/image-85-optimized.webp)

### Part 1: The Entrepreneurial Mindset & Vision

1. **On Winning:** "If you really are going to win, you have to assume you're going to win. You have to build with the expectation that you're going to win." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Market Timing:** "Looking back, if you asked me to choose the best time in history to start a cybersecurity company in the cloud, I would have to say March 2020." — [*Source: YouTube / Candid Podcast*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Strategic Pivoting:** "Companies should be open to pivoting their business strategies and exploring alternatives while adjusting expectations." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Long-term Value:** "There is a tension that you need to play with that you're solving an important problem from the get-go, but that you also need to be sure you're building for the future." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Company Scale:** "We believe the company that is going to own cloud security in the world is going to be a $100 plus billion dollar company." — [*Source: YouTube / Interview*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Decision-Making Scale:** "When you're turning down an offer \[like $23 billion\], you're thinking about how you build a hundred billion dollar company—that’s the shift in mindset required." — [*Source: YouTube / No Priors Podcast*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Economic Crises:** "We did not think we would build a company for two or three years; it is good for us to deal with a crisis because it proves the resilience of the model." — [*Source: Calcalist*](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907340,00.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Opportunity Identification:** "Having a long-term vision and goals are what allow you to identify new opportunities and create competitive advantage." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Growth Speed:** "Being the fastest-growing company, the pace is very fast; everyone is always running together, and a great product helps align the whole company." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Embracing Uncertainty:** "Startups are built in dynamic environments; their life cycles are filled with uncertainty, which can be energizing if the team remains focused." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 2: Building High-Performance Teams & Culture

1. **On Co-founder Synergy:** "Part of the magic of the relationship is how different we all are; each co-founder has a distinct personality that brings out the best in the others." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Priorities:** "You have to understand that it's about people and processes first; only once you understand the people can you create the products." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Hiring Potential:** "When recruiting, look beyond past experience; prioritize a candidate's potential to adapt and innovate in a rapidly evolving field." — [*Source: YouTube / Startup Session*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Growth Through Failure:** "Our teams are willing to try new ideas with the knowledge that failure equals growth and learning." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Employee Well-being:** "Tough economic times have a tremendous impact on morale; the well-being of your employees should never be taken for granted." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Local Talent Hubs:** "Israeli high-tech will not disappear because the talent here is among the best in the world." — [*Source: Calcalist*](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907340,00.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Compensation Philosophy:** "Anyone who thinks that salaries in high-tech will fall is wrong; demand for workers remains consistent." — [*Source: Calcalist*](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907340,00.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Leadership Betting:** "When I need to bet, I'm betting on my people and their execution abilities." — [*Source: YouTube / No Priors Podcast*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Collaborative Speed:** "In a startup, speed is the most important thing; it is the primary advantage we have over incumbents." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Iterative Cycles:** "I believe in working in quick and iterative cycles to build the confidence of teams to be bold in execution." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 3: The Evolution of Cloud Security

1. **On the Cloud Problem Space:** "The cloud security problem is huge; it is definitely bigger than endpoint or network security." — [*Source: YouTube / Interview*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Product Scalability:** "Staying at Microsoft taught us the critical importance of building products that scale from day one." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Market Consolidation:** "The market is looking for consolidation; it's truly more valuable for a CISO to have everything in one platform." — [*Source: YouTube / No Priors Podcast*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Platform Necessity:** "If you understand that vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and data are all connected, you must have a platform." — [*Source: YouTube / Interview*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Security Scanning:** "Modern security requires scanning cloud storage providers like AWS and Azure without agents to identify vulnerabilities instantly." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Bridging Gaps:** "We saw a fundamental gap between security teams and DevOps; Wiz was built to bridge that divide." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Agentless Technology:** "The shift from agent-based to agentless security was the turning point for cloud adoption at scale." — [*Source: YouTube / Startup Grind*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Contextual Security:** "Vulnerabilities alone don't tell the story; you need the full context of the cloud environment to prioritize risk." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Security as an Enabler:** "Security should be an enabler of the business, moving as fast as the developers, not a blocker." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Cloud Visibility:** "You cannot protect what you cannot see; total visibility is the first step in any cloud security strategy." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 4: Hyper-growth, Sales, and Market Dominance

1. **On Customer Discovery:** "We talked to 100 CISOs before writing a single line of code for Wiz to ensure we were solving the right problem." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Quality Control:** "We are constantly asking ourselves, 'How do we grow and still keep the highest bar for the product?'" — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Financial Discipline:** "We are entering a period where the main thing for a startup is the rate of cash burning." — [*Source: Calcalist*](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907340,00.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Inorganic Growth (M&A):** "M&A is all about people; it's about the people's interaction with the market and the key learnings from their past mistakes." — [*Source: YouTube / Interview*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Constant Feedback:** "It is vital to explore gaps in the industry through continuous conversation with customers." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Customer Priority:** "The first priority of the organization should always be the customer." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Scaling Discipline:** "Sometimes you must prioritize scalability and core architecture over adding every new customer-requested feature." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On Global Ambition:** "To build a generational company, you have to target the world's largest corporations from the start." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On Sales Momentum:** "When you have a product that solves a burning pain, sales becomes an engine of momentum rather than a struggle." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Revenue Milestones:** "Reaching $100M ARR in record time was a validation of our focus on the cloud security platform shift." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

### Part 5: Leadership Lessons & Global Impact

1. **On Military Foundations:** "Meeting my co-founders in Unit 8200 provided a foundation of trust and technical excellence that defines us." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/02/27/wiz-10-billion-valuation-series-d/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **On Post-Acquisition Learning:** "Spending time at Microsoft after the Adallom exit was essential for learning how to manage at a global scale." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **On Learning from Mistakes:** "We made tons of mistakes with Adallom; those mistakes were the best training for making Wiz successful." — [*Source: YouTube / Podcast*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0S2Fm7P8E8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **On Technology Humanism:** "Of course we love technology, but it’s the human aspect—understanding CISO priorities—that made Wiz successful." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **On Boldness:** "I believe in building the confidence of my teams to be bold in both their ideas and their execution." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Maintaining Advantage:** "Long-term vision allows you to create competitive advantage that goes beyond just feature sets." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. **On Brand Simplicity:** "The name 'Wiz' represents speed, magic, and simplicity—core values we wanted our product to embody." — [*Source: Index Ventures*](https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/candid-with-assaf-rappaport-wiz/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. **On the Israeli Ecosystem:** "The resilience of the Israeli tech ecosystem is built on the talent and dedication of people who thrive in uncertainty." — [*Source: Calcalist*](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3907340,00.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. **On the Alphabet Acquisition (2026):** "The acquisition of Wiz for $32 billion by Alphabet marks a new era for cloud security and global technical integration." — [*Source: Forbes*](https://www.forbes.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. **On Earning Dedication:** "You must earn the continued dedication and confidence of your talent every single day." — [*Source: AWS Blog*](https://aboutamazon.com/news/aws/wiz-ceo-assaf-rappaport-on-cloud-security-and-growth?ref=antoinebuteau.com)