Every Day Is Zero Day | Wiz CTO Ami Luttwak
Every Day Is Zero Day | Wiz CTO Ami Luttwak
Podcast46 min 15 sec
Listen to Episode
Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Consider AI-enabled cybersecurity as a long-term growth theme, especially companies offering continuous exposure testing, automated threat response, and cloud security. Prioritize firms with practical, cost-efficient products; the insights provide no specific stock recommendations, price targets, or trade timeframe.

Detailed Analysis

Wiz

  • Wiz is discussed as a cybersecurity company whose tools help organizations identify vulnerabilities, test exposed systems, investigate attacks, and prepare automated responses.
  • The CTO says customers are rapidly adopting Wiz’s Red Agent, which continuously tests systems from an attacker’s perspective. He argues that checking internet-exposed systems is more urgent than relying on one-off code scans.
  • Wiz is described as part of the Google family. The transcript does not give a Wiz stock ticker, valuation, or investment recommendation.

Takeaways

  • The discussion points to demand for cybersecurity products that combine continuous testing with investigation and response—not just vulnerability alerts.
  • A key business challenge is cost: effective services may need to combine cheaper and more advanced AI models rather than use the most expensive model for every task.
  • The transcript offers no financial data to assess Wiz or make a company-specific investment judgment.

Google (Alphabet: GOOGL, GOOG)

  • Google is mentioned as part of the ecosystem of frontier AI model providers; the speakers say security companies may need to test multiple models because their capabilities, speed, and costs differ.
  • Wiz is described in the conversation as part of the Google family. Google’s AI models are discussed as tools in cybersecurity workflows, not as an investment thesis.

Takeaways

  • The discussion highlights a potential strategic connection between large AI-model providers and cybersecurity companies, but gives no information on revenue impact, financial returns, or a price target for Alphabet.

OpenAI

  • OpenAI is mentioned as an AI provider and in reference to an earlier incident that the guest says raised concerns about AI-enabled attacks.
  • The guest’s broader point is that both frontier and open-source models can help find vulnerabilities, and that companies may need to combine models in cost-conscious pipelines.

Takeaways

  • The transcript suggests that AI capabilities are becoming relevant to cybersecurity on both offense and defense. It does not provide an investment recommendation or financial outlook for OpenAI.

Cybersecurity and AI security

  • The guest describes a sharp increase in the frequency and speed of AI-enabled attacks, including attacks that may move from initial access to a broader compromise in about 20 minutes.
  • He says attackers can use AI to find and exploit vulnerabilities, while software patching can take much longer—sometimes weeks, months, or years across older systems.
  • He argues companies should prioritize continuous testing of internet-exposed systems, critical-risk mitigation, detection, and response readiness. For new startups, he recommends designing systems and development pipelines to support automated patching and testing.
  • He cautions that higher security budgets alone may not solve the problem. Secure system design, isolation, and reducing unnecessary exposure are also important.
  • The guest says some organizations spend tens of millions of dollars on code scanning and warns that repeated, broad scans can be expensive without a more targeted, continuous approach. One CISO’s expectation of an 80% budget increase next year is presented as an anecdote, not an industry-wide forecast.

Takeaways

  • The discussion points to a potential growth theme in AI-enabled cybersecurity, especially continuous external-exposure testing, red-team automation, cloud security, and automated investigation and response.
  • For evaluating companies in the sector, the conversation suggests paying attention to whether products address urgent, practical security needs and can deliver them economically. Model costs, legacy systems, and slow patching are material challenges mentioned in the transcript.
  • The guest’s comments are not a direct recommendation to buy cybersecurity stocks; no company valuations, stock price targets, or specific investment timelines are provided.

Bitcoin (BTC)

  • Bitcoin is mentioned only as an analogy: the guest compares vulnerability discovery to Bitcoin mining, saying new models may uncover more vulnerabilities even as the process changes.
  • No comments are made about Bitcoin’s price, adoption, or investment prospects.

Takeaways

  • The Bitcoin reference is illustrative, not an investment thesis. The transcript provides no basis for a view on BTC.

Ask about this postAnswers are grounded in this post's content.
Episode Description
AI isn’t just helping defenders find vulnerabilities. It’s giving attackers the speed and expertise to exploit them faster than many companies can respond. Wiz co-founder and CTO Ami Luttwak joins a16z General Partners Zane Lackey and Sarah Wang to unpack what he calls “Black October,” a wave of vulnerabilities and agentic attacks that he believes marks a turning point for cybersecurity. They break down PHP2Shell, why AI is collapsing the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation, and what happens when open-source models put increasingly sophisticated offensive capabilities in more hands. Ami explains why startups are becoming attractive targets, particularly when they hold valuable AI credentials, and why yesterday’s secure architecture may no longer be secure as models improve. The conversation then turns to defense. Ami argues that companies need to continuously attack their own systems, automate investigation and patching wherever possible, design infrastructure assuming sophisticated attackers will get in, and rethink security stacks built for a slower era. His warning is simple: if attackers can move in minutes, defenders can no longer operate on human timelines. Resources: Follow Ami Luttwak on X: https://x.com/amiluttwak  Follow Sarah Wang on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang Follow Zane Lackey on X: https://x.com/zanelackey  Learn more about Wiz: https://www.wiz.io/ Read ‘The Rise of Agentic Attacks: What They Look Like, and Where They're Headed’: https://www.wiz.io/blog/the-rise-of-agentic-attacks Read more from Wiz’s blogs: https://www.wiz.io/blog Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
About The a16z Show
The a16z Show

The a16z Show

By Andreessen Horowitz

The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!