Nikesh Arora on AI cybersecurity threats
From Palo Alto Networks Q3 2026 Earnings Call | Next-Gen Security ARR Surges 60% · · Investing 101
“Much has been said about mythos over the last many months. Over the past quarter, Frontier AI development reached a critical inflection point. We have entered the era of truly cyber capable systems where models like missiles possess the autonomous capability to execute comprehensive attack campaigns from start to finish. This represents a fundamental paradigm shift for the cyber security industry.”
On , Nikesh Arora, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Palo Alto Networks Inc, spoke about AI cybersecurity threats during Palo Alto Networks Q3 2026 Earnings Call | Next-Gen Security ARR Surges 60% on Investing 101.
About Nikesh Arora
Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, discussed the company’s use of an AI tool called Mythos, which he said found vulnerabilities in the company’s code that would have taken five to seven years to discover in just six weeks. He stated that the company has entered an era of “cyber capable systems” where AI models can execute autonomous attack campaigns, and argued that this development has increased the terminal value of the cybersecurity industry. Arora also declared that “analytical SaaS is dead” and that “SaaS eclipse for cyber security is dead,” asserting that customers no longer need companies that simply collect and analyze data, as they can run models against data themselves. On the company’s fiscal third quarter 2026 earnings call, Arora reported next-generation security annual recurring revenue growth of 59 to 60% and raised full-year guidance. He described the integration of the CyberArk acquisition as “existential” for the company and said Palo Alto Networks is hiring more technical people because AI is driving a need for transformation. Arora noted that the company had 1,200 customer interactions following the Mythos announcement, with 800 meetings completed in the prior 12 weeks. He also said he believes Google is underrated and will be the first $10 trillion company in his lifetime.