CISO Conversations: Nico Waisman – From Self-Taught Hacker to AI-Driven Offensive Security at XBOW

Nico Waisman’s cybersecurity journey is a remarkable and almost accidental one, beginning with a childhood fascination with hacking in Argentina and culminating in his current role as CISO at XBOW, a company specializing in AI-powered autonomous offensive security. He emphasizes that cybersecurity ‘chose him’ rather than a planned career path, driven by a desire to learn and a preference for working with people he knows and trusts. His career has evolved through a series of seemingly random steps, including roles at Immunity, Semmle/GitHub, and Lyft, where he ultimately became CISO. He highlights the challenges of the CISO role, particularly the pressure of balancing security with enablement and mitigating burnout within the team. Waisman stresses the importance of focusing on what truly matters in security and adopting a mentoring approach rather than providing direct answers. Looking ahead, he anticipates a period of significant disruption as AI technology continues to advance and attackers increasingly leverage its capabilities.