Yevgeny Kaspersky was born on 4 October 1965, in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, and is a businessman and cybersecurity expert, best known for founding the Information Technology (IT) security company Kaspersky Lab, launching numerous advancements in the field of cyberwarfare – he has been the CEO of Kaspersky since 2007. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Eugene Kaspersky? As of mid-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $1.3 billion, mostly earned through a successful career in the IT industry, helping to create and develop numerous programs to combat various computer viruses. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Eugene Kaspersky Net Worth $1.3 billion
At a young age, Eugene and his family moved to Moscow, Russia, when he started developing an interest in math and technology, later joining math competitions. He attended the boarding school AN Kolmogorov which had specializations in math, and then moved to The Technical Faculty of the KGB Higher School, taking a five year program for training intelligence officers. He graduated with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology in 1987, and then served in the Soviet military as a software engineer.
In 1989, Kaspersky started to develop an interest in IT security after his computer was effected by the Cascade virus. Around this time, he was working for the Ministry of Defense, and developed a program to remove the viruses which would lead to him launch virus removal software. Two years later, he was released from military service and then started to focus his work on antivirus programs. He along with colleagues improved the software, and then created the Antiviral Toolkit Pro, which found a bit of success in Russia and Ukraine. In 1994, Kaspersky would win an antivirus software competition held by Hamburg University, which led his business to open up to European and American companies. Three years later, Kaspersky Lab was founded, and the company would find success, with Kaspersky’s net worth increasing significantly thanks to the quick growth of the company in the 1990s. In 2000, their product was renamed to Kaspersky Antivirus.
Eugene headed the company’s research division, and did a lot of promotion on antivirus software. He quickly grew as an antivirus expert, and his net worth also continued to build. He helped established the Global Research and Expert Analysis Team of Kaspersky, which started working with governments as well as big corporations. Kaspersky became known for discovering cybersecurity threats, helping to expose numerous viruses as well as hacker groups. In 2007, Eugene became the CEO of Kaspersky Lab, but four years later, the company lost several senior members after he decided against taking the company public. The company continues to work on cybersecurity, in particular providing protection for critical infrastructure.
For his personal life, it is known that Kaspersky married Natalya in 1987, but they divorced in 1998. He now lives in Moscow Russia with his second wife and five kids. He is very interested in sports cars and racing. He also supports various scientific projects. In an interview, he described himself as an adrenaline junkie, who also enjoys photography as a hobby. Kaspersky has battled numerous lawsuits against the company but has been known to win each of them.
