Cloudflare's Co-Founder Is Tech's Newest Billionaire

Cloudflare's Co-Founder Is Tech's Newest Billionaire


January 1, 2022 | Eul Basa

Cloudflare's Co-Founder Is Tech's Newest Billionaire


For most of us, becoming a billionaire is nothing but a farfetched dream. For others (and by others, I mean a select few), it's a fully realizable goal and the natural next step in one's entrepreneurship. Belonging to the latter group is Michelle Zatlyn, the co-founder of the web security firm known as Cloudflare. This past Tuesday, the company's stock soared to record highs, with share prices closing at $108.93 on the New York Stock Exchange. Such numbers represent a doubling of last year's value, and it has made Zatlyn the newest billionaire in the tech world.

Zatlyn currently serves as Cloudflare's chief operating officer and she has a 5% stake in the company. She's actually the company's second billionaire, just after Matthew Prince, the CEO who became a billionaire himself last May. Today, he is worth $4 billion, and he has a 13% stake in the company.

The two have been business partners since their days at Harvard. When they founded Cloudflare in 2009, they initially had a third partner with them—Lee Holloway, one of Prince's collaborators. Unfortunately, due to serious health issues, he had to step down in 2016, leaving Zatlyn and Prince to run the company.

https://twitter.com/Cloudflare/status/1172533231800987650

Cloudflare specializes in cybersecurity, offering websites protection from various online threats. Given that we are now in an era of near-total digitization and remote work, its services are very much timely and relevant in today's industries. The company first went public in the fall of 2019 with a share price of $18 and it rose steadily soon after. Its meteoric rise occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as several companies and services switched to online means. Last year, Cloudflare raked in an impressive $431 million; however, its net losses also went up.

Like any great success story, Cloudflare's rise to prominence was not without controversy. The company was met with criticism in the past for providing its services to websites such as 8chan and The Daily Stormer, to which it argued that it was simply standing by the principles of free speech. However, the company eventually cut off both websites from its services after it was discovered that the culprit of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas in 2019 had posted his plans on an 8chan message board.

Most recently, Cloudflare provided its cybersecurity services to election websites involved in the 2020 U.S. elections, as well as to vaccine distributors that have been increasingly active during the ongoing pandemic. Needless to say, Cloudflare can expect to have a busy couple of years in the near future.

Source

READ MORE

Money gone fast.
THE WORLD OF WEALTH

I tried to save money by doing my own taxes. Now the IRS says I owe $14,000. That would ruin me, am I completely doomed?

That sinking feeling when you open an envelope from the IRS and see a five-figure number staring back at you is genuinely stomach-churning. You thought you were being smart and thrifty by filing your own taxes, maybe using some free software or just winging it with the forms. Fast forward a few months, and suddenly you're facing a $14,000 bill that feels like it appeared out of nowhere. Your mind races through worst-case scenarios: wage garnishment, property seizure, maybe even jail time. But here's the thing about IRS debt that most people don't realize until they're knee-deep in it. You're probably not so doomed as you think you are, and that terrifying number isn't necessarily set in stone.
February 19, 2026 Marlon Wright
ConsumerRights
THE WORLD OF WEALTH

I bought a brand-new car I couldn’t afford just to impress my hyper-competitive coworkers. Now it’s been repossessed. Can I fix my credit?

Buying a car to impress people who barely think about you is expensive. However, losing that car to repossession is even more expensive as the bill keeps coming long after the tow truck leaves. If you're reading this with an empty parking space and a sinking feeling in your gut, you already know the damage is done. A repossession is a serious financial wound that shows up on your credit report for seven years and tanks your score by 100–150 points almost immediately. But can you actually recover from this? Yes. Will it be quick or easy? Absolutely not. Thousands of people dig themselves out of repo situations every year, rebuilding their credit from the ground up. The path forward requires honesty about what went wrong, strategic action to minimize the damage, and patience while your credit slowly heals.
February 19, 2026 Marlon Wright
FINANCE TIPS

Financial Advice From Boomers That Doesn't Hold Up In These Tough Times

Is Boomer money advice still relevant in today’s economy? In this eye-opening and engaging article, we break down the old-school financial tips that simply don’t hold up anymore—from “just walk in and ask for a job” to “buy the biggest house you can afford.”
February 19, 2026 Jack Hawkins
FINANCE TIPS

My brother and I found $32K cash in Dad’s house after he died. He wants to keep it in a safe, but I want to put it in the bank. Who’s right?

Finding cash in a deceased person's belongings technically belongs to the deceased's estate.
February 19, 2026 Miles Rook
Worried woman holding papers
FINANCE TIPS

I covered my parents’ rent for six months. They used the extra money to buy a timeshare. This is the last straw, how do I confront them?

There's a special kind of hurt that comes with realizing someone you love has misused your generosity, and that pain intensifies when it involves your own parents. Helping family members during tough times usually stems from genuine care and a desire to support them through what seems like a real crisis. But when the money meant for essential bills ends up funding luxury purchases that make no financial sense, it creates an emotional whirlwind of anger, disappointment, and complete confusion about what to do next. The whole situation gets messier because you can't just walk away as you might with a friend or colleague—these are the people who raised you, which brings a whole different level of complexity to the table.
February 18, 2026 Miles Brucker
MoneyCollectors
THE WORLD OF WEALTH

American $2 bills are still legal tender, but if yours has the right serial number, it's worth thousands of dollars instead of two.

The $2 bill has always been weird. Nobody uses them. Banks barely stock them. Yet certain ones command jaw-dropping prices among collectors. Serial number patterns can make all the difference.
February 18, 2026 Marlon Wright

Disclaimer

The information on MoneyMade.com is intended to support financial literacy and should not be considered tax or legal advice. It is not meant to serve as a forecast, research report, or investment recommendation, nor should it be taken as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or adopt any particular investment strategy. All financial, tax, and legal decisions should be made with the help of a qualified professional. We do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, or outcomes associated with the use of this content.




Dear reader,


It’s true what they say: money makes the world go round. In order to succeed in this life, you need to have a good grasp of key financial concepts. That’s where Moneymade comes in. Our mission is to provide you with the best financial advice and information to help you navigate this ever-changing world. Sometimes, generating wealth just requires common sense. Don’t max out your credit card if you can’t afford the interest payments. Don’t overspend on Christmas shopping. When ordering gifts on Amazon, make sure you factor in taxes and shipping costs. If you need a new car, consider a model that’s easy to repair instead of an expensive BMW or Mercedes. Sometimes you dream vacation to Hawaii or the Bahamas just isn’t in the budget, but there may be more affordable all-inclusive hotels if you know where to look.


Looking for a new home? Make sure you get a mortgage rate that works for you. That means understanding the difference between fixed and variable interest rates. Whether you’re looking to learn how to make money, save money, or invest your money, our well-researched and insightful content will set you on the path to financial success. Passionate about mortgage rates, real estate, investing, saving, or anything money-related? Looking to learn how to generate wealth? Improve your life today with Moneymade. If you have any feedback for the MoneyMade team, please reach out to [email protected]. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,

The Moneymade team




✕

Want to read more?

If you like humaverse you may also consider subscribing to these newsletters:

Healthcare AI News
5 minutes or less is all it takes to elevate your Healthcare knowledge with our expert-curated weekly AI newsletter. The Sweaty Startup
Join 46,000+ people who read my weekly newsletter about real-estate, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to succeed long-term. The Yellowbrick Road
Want to make more money in the stock market? Our AI tool reads and summarizes 100s of stock articles every day and sends the best in our free, daily email. Join 10,000+ smart investors.