George R. Kurtz
Summary
George R. Kurtz is CrowdStrike’s co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and director, and has led the company since its founding in November 2011. ([ir.crowdstrike.com](https://ir.crowdstrike.com/static-files/29e71f45-3c39-4c2c-9159-5e7bb9f3315b?utm_source=openai))
Biography
Kurtz began his career in accounting and security consulting, holding senior security roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young before founding Foundstone in 1999. Foundstone developed security products and services focused on vulnerability management and incident response, and McAfee acquired it in 2004. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-au/about-us/executive-team/george-kurtz/?utm_source=openai)) After the acquisition, Kurtz held senior positions at McAfee, including Executive Vice President, general manager and Worldwide Chief Technology Officer. He co-founded CrowdStrike in 2011 and has served as its President, CEO and a board member since November of that year. He co-authored the cybersecurity book "Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions" and holds a B.S. in accounting from Seton Hall University. ([ir.crowdstrike.com](https://ir.crowdstrike.com/static-files/29e71f45-3c39-4c2c-9159-5e7bb9f3315b?utm_source=openai))
Notable achievements
- Founded Foundstone and helped build it into a global security products and services company before its 2004 sale to McAfee. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-au/about-us/executive-team/george-kurtz/?utm_source=openai))
- Co-founded CrowdStrike and led its development of a cloud-native endpoint security platform. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-au/about-us/executive-team/george-kurtz/?utm_source=openai))
- Guided CrowdStrike through its 2019 initial public offering. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-gb/about-us/executive-team/burt-podbere/?utm_source=openai))
- Built a long cybersecurity career spanning consulting, security software, incident response and corporate technology leadership. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-au/about-us/executive-team/george-kurtz/?utm_source=openai))
Problem areas / controversies
- On July 19, 2024, a defective CrowdStrike content update caused system crashes on certain Windows systems and triggered a widespread global technology outage. ([crowdstrike.com](https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/blog/channel-file-291-rca-available/?utm_source=openai))
- The outage led to public criticism of CrowdStrike’s software testing, update controls and communications, and Kurtz faced congressional scrutiny over the incident. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/aa1e9c84ee34bc38aca69731d9d3b9a7?utm_source=openai))
- CrowdStrike disclosed lawsuits, claims and inquiries related to the outage, including actions involving company officers and directors; the company said related legal costs and business effects could be significant. ([sec.gov](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535527/000153552726000010/R18.htm?utm_source=openai))