Check Point to hire 500 in Israel to power new AI research hub
CEO Nadav Zafrir leads transformation with aggressive growth plans and real estate investment.
Check Point is embarking on an aggressive recruitment drive to hire 500 employees for its offices in Israel, Calcalist has learned. The effort, led by new CEO Nadav Zafrir, will primarily target R&D talent and aims to increase the company’s Israeli development workforce, currently at 2,000, by 25%. With 3,000 total employees in Israel and 7,000 globally, this marks a more than 15% increase in Check Point’s local headcount.
The company has also launched a “Bring a Friend” referral program, offering rewards even for candidates who reach the interview stage or advance through the hiring process. The goal is to rapidly staff the artificial intelligence research center recently established by Check Point and to accelerate product development in network security. The plan is to complete the hiring by the end of 2025. While Check Point is also expected to grow its teams in the U.S. and India, the bulk of this effort will remain concentrated in Israel. To support the scale-up, Check Point has significantly expanded its recruitment department.
The hiring spree, uncharacteristic for a company known for its conservative approach to HR, may also involve a “tweaking” of the workforce. Sources suggest that weaker performers could be let go, a move that would be highly unusual for Check Point, which has largely avoided layoffs even during industry downturns.
One of Zafrir’s first major initiatives since becoming CEO six months ago was launching the AI research center. He also acknowledged Check Point’s strategic lag in cloud technologies and moved to correct it, signing a joint marketing agreement with Wiz, the cloud security startup sold to Google for $32 billion. His strategy is clear: Check Point cannot afford to miss the AI revolution.
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"We will repurpose our Tel Aviv center, located in our building on Leonardo da Vinci Street, which was lent to the hostage release headquarters last year," Zafrir said. "The center will house dozens of employees, including both existing Check Point staff and new hires that we will recruit.
The hiring drive follows a major real estate purchase: Check Point and Israel Canada recently acquired land on Tel Aviv’s Kraminzky Street to build a new flagship campus. The company invested NIS 500 million in the deal, its largest-ever real estate transaction. The new facility will include 4,000 workstations, double the capacity of its current headquarters, and bring Check Point’s total to 6,000 workstations across 100,000 square meters. Construction is set to begin in 2027.
These moves underscore Check Point’s renewed commitment to its Israeli presence at a time when many local tech firms are reincorporating in the U.S. and shifting operations abroad. Zafrir’s strategy is not just about growth, it’s about shaking Check Point out of its long-standing inertia. Despite surpassing $2.5 billion in revenue in 2024 and posting a record $9.6 earnings per share, the company continues to be perceived as a slow-moving incumbent in Israel’s fast-paced cybersecurity ecosystem.
