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Unit 8200, Tel Aviv’s largest single military unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), can be perceived as equivalent to the US National Security Agency (NSA).
The notorious unit is known for developing the deadly “Lavender” AI used in targeted assassinations during the Gaza conflict, an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed in 2024.
Graduates of the unit involved in surveillance and high-tech warfare have reportedly infiltrated Israel’s tech startup scene, especially in cybersecurity.
“…Nearly 50% of founders whose companies were acquired for over $100 million in the last decade served in the unit [8200],” research by VC fund Ibex Investors claims.
Meta’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Guy Rosen is a Unit 8200 graduate.
Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and LinkedIn are all staffed with these ex-intelligence officers, according to open source reporting.
Wiz counts all four of its founders among Unit 8200’s alumni, and all 1,800 Wiz staff will remain employed under the transition, The Times of Israel writes. The deal was touted as a “new feather in cap of Israeli military intelligence.”
