Amit Yoran, who ushered cybersecurity company Tenable into the public market as chief executive, died on Friday. He was 54.
Yoran’s passing was confirmed by Tenable in a Saturday press release. While the company said his death was unexpected, Yoran went on medical leave early last month as he battled cancer.
Funeral details have not yet been announced, the company said on Saturday.
Yoran took the helm of Tenable in 2016, his latest leadership role in the cybersecurity field. He previously served as president of RSA Security from 2014 to 2016. Yoran founded and led NetWitness as CEO between 2006 and 2011 before it was acquired by RSA, according to his LinkedIn page.
His decadeslong career in cybersecurity also included government and nonprofit work. Yoran was National Cybersecurity Director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2004. He sat on the board of the Center for Internet Security since 2019.
Two years into Yoran’s tenure, Tenable went public on the Nasdaq. At the time, the IPO was seen as a success story for cybersecurity companies on Wall Street.
Yoran called the company’s focus on the vulnerabilities of businesses’ technology as unique in the market, while also noting its successful shift to a subscription model. By 2018, Yoran said, more than half of Fortune 500 companies were Tenable customers.
“We’ve become one of the most trusted and beloved brands in cybersecurity,” he told CNBC at the time of Tenable’s IPO. “Only the best and highest-performing private companies have the opportunity to go public. And that gives us a spot on a much larger stage to be able to tell our story.”
Tenable CFO Steve Vintz and Chief Operating Officer Mark Thurmond have acted as co-CEOs since Yoran went on medical leave in December. They will continue sharing the role while its board of directors looks for a permanent successor, the company said.
Yoran had expected his leave to last only a few months and said his condition was a “treatable situation,” according to a note to employees published on his LinkedIn page. He had “complete trust” in Vintz and Thurmond to lead the company in his absence.
“We have much to do and there is no time to waste,” Yoran wrote. “As I take a brief pause to prioritize my health, I will stay as connected as I can while giving myself the space to heal fully. I am deeply grateful for each of you, not only for the dedication you bring to your work but for the sense of community we’ve built together.”
Yoran was also the chair of Tenable’s board, a position that now will be held by Art Coviello, the company’s lead independent director. In a statement, Coviello called Yoran an “extraordinary” leader, colleague and friend.
“His passion for cybersecurity, his strategic vision, and his ability to inspire those around him have shaped Tenable’s culture and mission,” Coviello said. “His legacy will continue to guide us as we move forward.”
The photo illustration shows the Bitcoin cryptocurrency on November 12, 2024 in Shanghai, China.
Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images
The price of bitcoin leapt back above $100,000 to start the first full trading week of the new year.
The flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by about 4% at $102,234, according to Coin Metrics. The broader crypto market, as measured by the CoinDesk 20 index, gained more than 3%. Bitcoin and ether are coming off their best weeks since Dec. 6, while Solana had its best week since Nov. 22.
“Overall, we are in a bullish environment and traders appear to be risk-on as we head into the new year,” Mario Jurina, CEO at crypto swaps platform Jumper.Exchange. “With Trump’s election set to be certified today, and January often being a bullish month — six of the past 10 years saw positive price action — it’s no wonder markets are moving upward.”
Crypto stocks Coinbase and MicroStrategy advanced nearly 6% and 5%, respectively. MicroStrategy Monday morning reported it has purchased another 1,070 bitcoins for about $101 million, bringing its total bitcoin holdings to 447,470.
Activity is coming back into the crypto market after a post-election rally that was driven by promises of a more supportive regulatory environment. The optimism sent prices rocketing for weeks before cooling at the end of the year. The price of bitcoin is expected to roughly double under the new administration this year, with some price predictions, like Fundstrat’s Tom Lee’s, being as high as $250,000.
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Ring security cameras are displayed on a shelf at a Target store on June 01, 2023 in Novato, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Amazon‘s Ring is partnering with fire safety product maker Kidde to launch a connected smoke alarm, the company announced Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The companies plan to launch Kidde smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that integrate Ring’s home security technology and can deliver alerts to the Ring mobile app. The Kidde Smart Smoke Alarm with Ring will cost $54.97, while the Kidde Smart Smoke and CO Alarm with Ring will cost $74.97. Both products will ship in April.
As part of the launch, Ring will also roll out a $5-per-month subscription service that gives users access to round-the-clock professional monitoring and emergency dispatchers.
Amazon acquired Ring in 2015 for a reported $1 billion. The home security company is primarily known for its video doorbell devices, which allow users to record activity in front of their homes, though it has expanded to include a portfolio of products ranging from camera-equipped floodlights to flying security camera drones.
Amazon doesn’t disclose unit sales for its Ring division, but Ring and rival home security company SimpliSafe comprise one-fifth of the U.S. market for professional monitoring systems, according to data from market research firm Parks Associates. Ring CEO Liz Hamren, who took the helm from founder Jamie Siminoff in March 2023, told Bloomberg last May that the company “recently” became profitable.
Users aren’t required to subscribe to Ring Home, the company’s program that enables video recording storage and other security features, in order to access the new smoke alarm service.
Global semiconductor stocks climbed on Monday after contract electronics giant Foxconn announced record fourth-quarter revenues, suggesting the artificial intelligence boom has far more room to run.
Hon Hai Precision Industry, which does business as Foxconn internationally, said in a Sunday statement that the company’s fourth-quarter revenue totaled 2.1 trillion New Taiwan dollars ($63.9 billion), growing 15% year-over-year.
Foxconn — which is a supplier to Apple — also set a record, posting the highest fourth-quarter revenue ever in company history, according to the statement.
The firm’s bumper revenue performance was driven by growth in its cloud and networking products — which includes AI servers like those designed by the likes of chipmaker Nvidia — and components and other products segments.
Computing products and smart consumer electronics — which numbers iPhone and other smartphones — saw “slight declines,” Foxconn said.
Shares of several semiconductor firms across Asia, Europe and the U.S. rose, as a result.
In Asia, TSMC hit a record high Monday and closed 1.9% higher in Taiwan.
The largest semiconductor manufacturer globally, TSMC produces chips for the likes of AMD and Nvidia.
Other Asian chip firms also logged share price gains — South Korea’s SK Hynix and Samsung rose nearly 10% and 4%, respectively.
In Europe, globally critical semiconductor equipment firm ASML saw its shares jump almost 6%, while fellow Dutch chip company ASMI’s stock rose almost 5%. Germany’s Infineon surged more than 6%.
Paris-listed shares of European contract chipmaker STMicroelectronics rose nearly 6%.
Stateside, Nvidia got a boost from the Foxconn numbers, climbing 2% in U.S. premarket trading.