Ex-Lacework CEO Jay Parikh To Join Microsoft In Senior Exec Role

Microsoft did not specify responsibilities Parikh will be assuming as a member of the senior leadership team at the tech giant.

Microsoft disclosed Thursday that former Lacework CEO Jay Parikh will join the company in an unspecified senior executive role.

In a note to Microsoft employees from CEO Satya Nadella, posted online by the company, Microsoft announced that Parikh (pictured) is joining the senior leadership team at the tech giant.

[Related: Fortinet To Acquire Cloud Security Unicorn Lacework, Bolster SASE Platform]

Parikh, who has a background in leading large engineering teams in addition to his experience as a chief executive, will report to Nadella.

The post did not disclose a title for Parikh at Microsoft or specify what responsibilities he’ll be assuming in the new role. His official starting date with Microsoft was also not mentioned.

“We will share more on his role and focus in the next few months,” Nadella said in the note to employees.

Microsoft declined to comment further when reached Thursday.

The hire comes several months after Fortinet completed its acquisition of Lacework, a venture-backed cloud security vendor where Parikh had been CEO since 2021.

Parikh had previously served as Facebook's vice president of engineering prior to joining Lacework, and earlier had held roles at tech companies including Akamai Technologies, where he was vice president of engineering.

Nadella said in the note Thursday that Parikh brings “an impressive track record, with a unique combination of experiences building and scaling technical teams that serve both commercial customers and consumers.”

“His deep connections across the start-up and VC ecosystems, coupled with his leadership roles at Akamai and Ning, will bring valuable perspective to Microsoft,” Nadella wrote.

“Over the years I’ve known Jay, I’ve admired him as a technology leader and respected engineer with a deep commitment to driving innovation and striving for operational excellence,” Nadella said.

Parikh’s focus also “extends beyond technology,” with a “passion for and dedication to developing people, fostering a strong culture, and building world-class talent,” the Microsoft CEO wrote.

“There are very few leaders in our industry with Jay’s experience in leading teams through the rapid growth and scale required to support today’s largest internet businesses,” Nadella said. “As he onboards, Jay will immerse himself in learning about our company priorities and our culture and will spend time connecting with our senior leaders and meeting with customers, partners, and employees around the world.”

Parikh’s LinkedIn profile indicates that his time at Lacework ended in July.

Lacework, which had specialized in offering data- and AI-powered capabilities for cloud security, had raised $1.8 billion in funding and for several years had ranked among the top-valued cybersecurity unicorns, with a valuation of $8.3 billion achieved in 2021. An estimate released by Forrester analysts, however, had pegged the Lacework acquisition deal at between $200 million and $230 million, as did several media reports.

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Nadella described the hire of Parikh as coming at a time when Microsoft must “continue adding exceptional talent at every level of the organization to increase our depth and capability across our business priorities – spanning security, quality, and AI innovation.”

Microsoft on Wednesday reported results for the first quarter of its fiscal 2025, ended Sept. 30, which saw the company’s revenue climb 16 percent from the same period a year ago to reach $65.59 billion, easily surpassing the analyst consensus estimate.

Microsoft’s stock price was down 5.5 percent to $408.73 a share Thursday, however, after the company’s fiscal second-quarter guidance fell short of Wall Street expectations.