Early Life and Education
Michael Xie was born in China and later moved to North America in the 1990s to study engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in automobile engineering from Tsinghua University and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba.
Rise to Success
Xie began his career in network security in the mid-1990s, working as a senior software engineer and software architect at various firms. In 2000, alongside his brother Ken Xie, he co-founded Fortinet in Sunnyvale, California. Fortinet went public in November 2009. Xie's role as CTO has been instrumental in driving innovation in cybersecurity solutions, leading to substantial company growth and his own financial success.
Key Business Strategies
Fortinet's strategy has focused on developing high-performance, hardware-accelerated security solutions. The company expanded from firewalls to a broad security platform, including cloud security and enterprise firewalls. Fortinet's revenue for 2025 was $6.8 billion. Xie owns more than 7% of Fortinet's shares.
Philanthropy
Michael Xie co-steers the Xie Foundation, established in 2009, which supports educational initiatives, with a focus on STEM programs. In 2023, the foundation distributed over $35 million in grants, including substantial funding to Stanford University and Tsinghua University. The foundation's total assets are valued at approximately $725 million.