Billionaire at 66 says success requires only one trait: experience is irrelevant.
Jay Chaudhry has seen his share of success.
In 1996, the 66-year-old co-founded SecureIT with his wife, which was later sold for $70 million in an all-stock deal in 1998. Afterward, he founded three more companies - AirDefense, CipherTrust, and CoreHarbor - all of which were eventually acquired.
In 2008, he founded his current venture, a cybersecurity company called Zscaler, where he currently serves as CEO. Zscaler's current market cap is $25.31 billion, as of Thursday. Forbes estimates his own wealth at $9.5 billion.
Chaudhry identifies one trait as crucial for success: passion, particularly a passion to accomplish something significant.
Here's why he believes it's critical.
'Work becomes your hobby'
Doing what you're passionate about makes the job easier.
If your driving force is enjoyment, then work becomes your hobby, motivating you to work harder and achieve results, which in turn drives you further. This is a domino effect of success that starts with your deep desire to succeed.
Chaudhry found his passion in "building something" and founding multiple companies. He enjoyed laying the foundations for his startups and bringing them to fruition.
He concludes by saying, "let's do more."
Without passion, 'it doesn't matter how much experience' you have
The opposite is true for people who don't feel that fire.
Without passion, experience is irrelevant for any job. Without the internal drive to solve problems and progress, work becomes less enjoyable.
Chaudhry evaluates candidates' potential for success on the job based on the research they have done and the questions they ask during the interview process. If a candidate appears highly passionate, there is potential for them to achieve great things in their role.
After that, he says, "success drives success."
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