Oege de Moor, the creator of GitHub Copilot, discusses how XBOW’s AI offensive security system matches and even outperforms top human penetration testers, completing security assessments in minutes instead of days. The team’s speed and focus is transforming the niche market of pen testing with an always-on service-as-a-software platform. Oege describes how he is building a large and sustainable business while also creating a product that will “protect all the software in the free world.” XBOW shows how AI is essential for protecting software systems as the amount of AI-generated code increases along with the scale and sophistication of cyber threats.

Hosted by: Konstantine Buhler and Sonya Huang, Sequoia Capital

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Semmle: Oege’s previous startup, a code analysis tool to secure software, acquired in 2019 by GitHub
• Nico Waisman: Head of security at XBOW, previously a researcher at Semmle
• The Bitter Lesson: Highly influential post by Richard Sutton
• HackerOne: Cybersecurity company that runs one of the largest bug bounty programs
• Suno: AI songwriting app that Oege loves
• Machines of Loving Grace: Essay by Anthropic founder, Dario Amodei