334: From Special Ops to Cyber AI Warfare: Lessons in Grit, Leadership, and AI Cybersecurity from Snehal Antani, Horizon3 CEO

AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

Snehal Antani is an entrepreneur, technologist, and investor. He is the CEO and Co-founder of Horizon3, a cybersecurity company using AI to deliver Red Teaming and Penetration Testing as a Service. He also serves as a Highly Qualified Expert for the U.S. Department of Defense, supporting digital transformation and data initiatives for Special Operations. Previously, he was CTO and SVP at Splunk, held CIO roles at GE Capital, and began his career as a software engineer at IBM. Snehal holds a master’s in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s from Purdue University, and he is the inventor on 16 patents.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Snehal Antani’s path from software engineer to CEO, and how his father's quiet example of grit and passion continues to shape his leadership style.
• How a “LEGO blocks” approach to building skills prepared Snehal to lead, and why he believes leadership must be earned through experience.
• Why Horizon3 identifies as a data company, and how running more pen tests than the Big Four creates a powerful AI advantage.
• What “cyber-enabled economic warfare” looks like in practice, and how a small disruption in a supply chain can create massive global impact.
• How Horizon3 built an AI engine that hacked a bank in under 60 seconds, showing what's possible when algorithms replace manual testing.
• What the future of work looks like in the AI era, with a growing divide between those with specialized expertise and trade skills and those without.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Snehal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snehalantani/
• AI fun fact article: https://venturebeat.com/security/ai-vs-endpoint-attacks-what-security-leaders-must-know-to-stay-ahead/
• On the New Definition of Work: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-john-boudreau-future-of-work-pioneer-and/id1476885647?i=1000633854079