Palo Alto Networks is a major American cybersecurity company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, known for its advanced firewalls and cloud-based security platform that protects over 70,000 organizations across 150+ countries, including 85 of the Fortune 100. Founded in 2005 by Israeli engineer Nir Zuk, the company went public on the NYSE in July 2012, raising $260 million, and later moved its listing to the Nasdaq in 2021. Under the leadership of CEO Nikesh Arora (since 2018), the firm has grown aggressively through acquisitions, most notably purchasing CyberArk for $25 billion (completed in 2026) and Chronosphere for $3.35 billion. It is also home to the Unit 42 threat research team, which provides critical intelligence on emerging cyber threats. The company reached a $200 billion market capitalization in May 2026, but faced a new challenge in August 2026 when China launched a security review of its products within the Chinese market.