CrowdStrike overview
CrowdStrike sells cybersecurity software and services built around CrowdStrike Falcon, a platform that uses a single lightweight sensor on each computer or server and analyzes the data it collects in the cloud. Falcon started as a tool for detecting and responding to intrusions on laptops and servers and now spans 33 subscription modules covering cloud workloads, identities, log management, data protection, AI systems and fully managed detection and response. The company also runs incident response and threat intelligence teams that track state-sponsored and criminal hacking groups.
George Kurtz, who had founded the security company Foundstone and later served as chief technology officer of McAfee, started CrowdStrike in 2011 with Dmitri Alperovitch, McAfee’s former head of threat research, and Gregg Marston, who became its first chief financial officer. Warburg Pincus provided the initial funding. The founders argued that traditional antivirus products could not keep up with determined attackers and that a cloud service drawing on data from many customers could spot attacks faster. CrowdStrike first sold intelligence and incident response services, then began offering Falcon’s cloud-based detection and response in June 2013.
The company became known for investigating high-profile breaches, including the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures and the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee, while Falcon won customers replacing older antivirus software. CrowdStrike went public on the Nasdaq in June 2019, moved its headquarters from Sunnyvale, California, to Austin in December 2021 and joined the S&P 500 in June 2024. It expanded the platform through acquisitions, including log management company Humio in 2021 and, in early 2026, identity security firm SGNL and browser security company Seraphic.
On July 19, 2024, a faulty content update for the Falcon sensor crashed an estimated 8.5 million Windows computers, disrupting airlines, hospitals, banks and broadcasters in what has been widely described as the largest IT outage in history. CrowdStrike said the problem was not a cyberattack, withdrew the update within 78 minutes, apologized and changed its update procedures, but many machines had to be repaired by hand. The incident led to lawsuits, including one by Delta Air Lines that remained unresolved in 2026. The business has kept growing: revenue reached $4.81 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, and annual recurring revenue was $5.84 billion by July 2026.
Software by CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike’s flagship product, first released in 2013.
CrowdStrike history and milestones
- 2011
George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch and Gregg Marston found CrowdStrike with initial funding from Warburg Pincus.
- 2012
CrowdStrike hires former FBI executive Shawn Henry to lead its services business and releases its first threat intelligence product.
- 2013
CrowdStrike begins offering Falcon’s cloud-based endpoint detection and response in June.
- 2015
Google Capital leads a $100 million investment in CrowdStrike.
- 2019
CrowdStrike goes public on the Nasdaq in June at $34 a share under the ticker CRWD.
- 2021
CrowdStrike acquires log management company Humio and moves its headquarters from Sunnyvale, California, to Austin, Texas.
- 2023
CrowdStrike introduces Charlotte AI, a generative AI assistant for security analysts.
- 2024
CrowdStrike joins the S&P 500 in June, and a faulty Falcon update on July 19 crashes millions of Windows computers worldwide.
- 2025
CrowdStrike acquires Onum and Pangea to add security data pipelines and protection for AI applications.
- 2026
CrowdStrike completes its purchases of identity security firm SGNL and browser security company Seraphic.
Who founded CrowdStrike?
George Kurtz
Co-founder; president and CEO since 2011
George Kurtz grew up in New Jersey, earned an accounting degree at Seton Hall University and began his career as a certified public accountant at Price Waterhouse, where he moved into penetration testing. In 1999 he founded Foundstone, a security company that McAfee bought in 2004, and he co-wrote the book Hacking Exposed. At McAfee he rose to executive vice president and worldwide chief technology officer.
Kurtz left McAfee in 2011 to found CrowdStrike and has been its president and chief executive since November of that year. Outside the company he is an accomplished sports car driver who has won the Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Dmitri Alperovitch
Co-founder; chief technology officer from 2011 to 2020
Dmitri Alperovitch was born in Moscow in 1980 and moved to the United States as a teenager, later earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Georgia Institute of Technology. As vice president of threat research at McAfee, he led investigations into Operation Aurora, the 2010 intrusions into Google and other companies, and published the Operation Shady RAT report on a long-running espionage campaign.
Alperovitch co-founded CrowdStrike in 2011 and served as its chief technology officer until he left in February 2020 to launch the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington think tank focused on geopolitical competition, which he chairs.
Gregg Marston
Co-founder; first chief financial officer
Gregg Marston co-founded CrowdStrike in 2011 with George Kurtz and Dmitri Alperovitch and became the company’s first chief financial officer. He is listed alongside Kurtz as an executive officer on the startup’s first securities filing in December 2011, which reported a $26 million equity offering at a time when Warburg Pincus was the company’s founding investor. Marston has since retired from CrowdStrike.
How CrowdStrike makes money
CrowdStrike earns most of its money from subscriptions to the Falcon platform, which brought in about $4.56 billion of its $4.81 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026; the rest came from professional services such as incident response. Subscriptions are priced by the unit that fits each product, such as per endpoint, identity, cloud sensor, user or device, or by gigabytes of log data ingested per day, and revenue is recognized over the contract term.
The company follows a land-and-expand strategy: customers start with a few modules and add more over time. Falcon Flex, its enterprise licensing model, lets customers commit to a broader investment up front and draw it down across products, and accounts using it represented more than $2.29 billion of annual recurring revenue in July 2026. CrowdStrike sells mainly through its direct sales force working with channel partners, managed security service providers and cloud marketplaces, while small businesses can buy bundles online.
Who owns and runs CrowdStrike?
George Kurtz has led CrowdStrike as president and chief executive since founding it in 2011, and Michael Sentonas also holds the title of president. Burt Podbere is chief financial officer, and Gerhard Watzinger, a former McAfee executive, is the board’s independent chairman. CrowdStrike is listed on the Nasdaq and owned by its shareholders, with asset managers Vanguard and BlackRock among the largest; its dual-class share structure ended in December 2024, leaving one vote per share.
- George KurtzFounder, president and CEO
- Michael SentonasPresident
- Burt PodbereChief financial officer
- Gerhard WatzingerChairman of the board
CrowdStrike: frequently asked questions
Who founded CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike was founded in 2011 by George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch and Gregg Marston. Kurtz had founded the security company Foundstone and served as McAfee’s chief technology officer, Alperovitch had led threat research at McAfee, and Marston became CrowdStrike’s first chief financial officer.
Who owns CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a public company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker CRWD, so it is owned by its shareholders. Large asset managers such as Vanguard and BlackRock are among its biggest holders, and since December 2024 every share has carried one vote after the company’s dual-class structure ended.
Who is the CEO of CrowdStrike?
George Kurtz is the CEO of CrowdStrike. He founded the company in 2011 and has served as its president and chief executive since then. Before CrowdStrike he founded Foundstone, sold it to McAfee in 2004 and later became McAfee’s worldwide chief technology officer.
Where is CrowdStrike headquartered?
CrowdStrike is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with principal executive offices in downtown Austin. The company moved its headquarters there from Sunnyvale, California, in December 2021, and it had more than 10,000 full-time employees at the start of 2026.
What software does CrowdStrike make?
CrowdStrike makes the Falcon platform, a cloud-based cybersecurity system built on a single lightweight sensor. Its modules cover endpoint protection and response, cloud security, identity protection, SIEM and log management, exposure management, data protection, AI security and managed detection and response through Falcon Complete.
What happened in the CrowdStrike outage of July 2024?
On July 19, 2024, CrowdStrike released a faulty content configuration update for its Falcon sensor that crashed an estimated 8.5 million Windows computers. The update was withdrawn 78 minutes later, but many machines had to be fixed manually, disrupting airlines, banks, hospitals and broadcasters. CrowdStrike said it was not a cyberattack.
Sources
- CrowdStrike Holdings annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal 2026 sec.gov
- CrowdStrike Holdings 2026 proxy statement sec.gov
- CrowdStrike reports second quarter fiscal 2027 results sec.gov
- CrowdStrike Form 8-K on the July 19, 2024 event sec.gov
- CrowdStrike registration statement on Form S-1, 2019 sec.gov
- CrowdStrike, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
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