# Yaki Faitelson

> Yaki Faitelson is the Israeli co-founder, CEO, president and chairman of Varonis. Previously a leader in professional services and systems integration at NetVision and NetApp, he co-developed the company’s MetaData Framework with Ohad Korkus and led Varonis through its 2014 Nasdaq listing, SaaS transition and expansion into AI security. In October 2026, Varonis agreed to a proposed acquisition by Proofpoint valued at approximately $6.3 billion.

- **Role:** CEO, President, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Varonis
- **Organizations:** Varonis, NetApp (formerly Network Appliance), NetVision
- **Nationality:** Israeli
- **Known for:** Co-developed the MetaData Framework underlying the Varonis Data Security Platform with Ohad Korkus., Holds patents with Korkus in permissions visualization, simulation and data analysis., Led Varonis through its 2014 Nasdaq IPO.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2005** — Held leadership positions in professional services and systems integration at NetVision and Network Appliance.
- **2003** — The oil-and-gas data-loss incident described in Varonis’ founding account exposed a lack of visibility into file activity.
- **2005** — Co-founded Varonis with Ohad Korkus.
- **2014** — Led Varonis through its February Nasdaq IPO under the ticker VRNS.
- **2024** — Returned to Israel after living in the United States for most of Varonis’ history, according to his October 2026 interview.
- **2025** — Announced acquisitions of Cyral and SlashNext and backed ending the legacy self-hosted product by December 31, 2026.
- **2026** — Announced the AllTrue.ai acquisition and the proposed combination with Proofpoint.

## Achievements

- Co-developed the MetaData Framework underlying the Varonis Data Security Platform with Ohad Korkus.
- Holds patents with Korkus in permissions visualization, simulation and data analysis.
- Led Varonis through its 2014 Nasdaq IPO.
- Led Varonis for more than two decades through changes in enterprise data storage and security.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 15, Proofpoint announced a definitive agreement to acquire Varonis in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.3 billion, or $49.75 per share. Expected closing is the first half of 2027, subject to approvals and customary conditions; the companies remain independent until closing.
- **2026-07** — Discussed AI agents and enterprise data access with Ron Bennatan in a conversation summarized by Varonis on July 24.
- **2026-03** — Presented Robots vs. Robots: Stories from the Frontlines of the Agentic Revolution at RSA Conference on March 25.
- **2026-02** — Announced the acquisition of AllTrue.ai to extend Varonis’ AI visibility and security controls.

## Links

- Website: https://www.varonis.com/blog/author/yaki-faitelson

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yaki-faitelson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24