# Matthew Prince

> Matthew Prince is the co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, the internet infrastructure giant that powers roughly 20% of all web traffic worldwide. A recovering lawyer turned serial entrepreneur, Prince built Cloudflare from a Harvard Business School business plan competition entry into a publicly traded company with a market cap in the tens of billions. Equally at home discussing BGP routing and content moderation philosophy, he is widely regarded as one of the most consequential figures shaping how the internet actually works - for better or for worse, depending on who you ask.

- **Role:** Co-founder, Executive Chairman & CEO at Cloudflare
- **Organizations:** Cloudflare, Unspam Technologies, The Park Record
- **From:** Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in English Literature (Minor: Computer Science), Trinity College, Connecticut, Juris Doctor, University of Chicago Law School, Master of Business Administration (MBA), George F. Baker Scholar, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Cloudflare, which now powers approximately 20% of all internet traffic, Led Cloudflare from a business school project to a publicly traded company (NYSE: NET), Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI (2025)

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Received Apple II Plus computer at age 6, sparking a lifelong passion for technology
- **1996** — Graduated Trinity College; was editor-in-chief of The Trinity Tripod; wrote thesis 'Why The Internet is a Fad'
- **2000** — Graduated University of Chicago Law School; joined Latham & Watkins law firm
- **2001** — Taught cyberlaw at John Marshall Law School / University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
- **2004** — Co-founded Unspam Technologies with Lee Holloway; launched Project Honey Pot to track email spam sources
- **2009** — Won Harvard Business School Business Plan competition with Cloudflare concept (then called 'Project Web Wall')
- **2009** — Co-founded Cloudflare with Michelle Zatlyn and Lee Holloway on July 26
- **2010** — Officially launched Cloudflare on September 27 at TechCrunch Disrupt
- **2019** — Led Cloudflare's IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NET)
- **2023** — Purchased The Park Record newspaper (Park City, Utah) with wife Tatiana Lingos-Webb
- **2025** — Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI
- **2025** — Purchased Town Lift Plaza in Park City; expressed interest in acquiring Park City Mountain Resort
- **2026** — Cloudflare beats Q4 2025 earnings estimates; AI agent traffic surging on Cloudflare network

## Achievements

- Co-founded Cloudflare, which now powers approximately 20% of all internet traffic
- Led Cloudflare from a business school project to a publicly traded company (NYSE: NET)
- Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI (2025)
- World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer
- Council on Foreign Relations member
- George F. Baker Scholar and Dubilier Prize for Entrepreneurship winner at Harvard Business School
- Wealthiest person in Utah (as of 2025-2026)
- Pioneered Project Honey Pot, one of the largest open-source cybersecurity honeypot projects
- Turned The Park Record newspaper profitable via AI content licensing - a novel media business model

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Cloudflare CEO says local news is 'the place to be' as AI proliferates, citing Park Record's AI licensing success
- **2026-02** — Cloudflare stock gained 5% after beating Q4 2025 Wall Street estimates with upbeat AI-driven guidance
- **2026-01** — Park City Council reached settlement for Prince's Treasure Hill home project after years of litigation; 11,000 sq ft mansion permit approved
- **2025-09** — Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025
- **2025-04** — Purchased Town Lift Plaza in Park City; publicly expressed interest in acquiring Park City Mountain Resort from Vail Resorts
- **2025-02** — Announced plans to give publishers tools to audit and block AI bots crawling their content via Cloudflare

## Links

- Website: https://blog.cloudflare.com/author/matthew-prince/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprince/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/eastdakota

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matthew-prince
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-21