What is Matthew Prince’s net worth?
Matthew Prince is an American entrepreneur, lawyer, and technology executive who has a net worth of $6.5 billion. That makes him the richest person in Utah.
Matthew Prince is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, one of the world’s leading internet infrastructure and cybersecurity companies. Since launching the business in 2010, Prince has guided Cloudflare from a small startup into a global powerhouse that provides content delivery, security, and web optimization services to millions of customers in more than 100 countries. Under his leadership, the company went public in 2019 and today is valued at over $75 billion. Known for his outspoken views on internet freedom, online privacy, and responsible technology governance, Prince has played a significant role in shaping the way the modern web operates.
Early Life and Education
Matthew Browning Prince was born in 1974 and grew up in Park City, Utah. His parents were entrepreneurs, running a small ski resort business, which exposed him early on to the challenges and rewards of building and managing a company. Prince displayed an early interest in technology and law, two disciplines that would eventually converge in his career.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Trinity College in Connecticut before pursuing a Juris Doctor (J.D.) at the University of Chicago Law School, where he studied under prominent legal scholars such as Richard Posner. After completing his law degree, he went on to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School, equipping him with the skills and connections to bridge the legal, technological, and business worlds.
Early Career
Before Cloudflare, Prince’s career blended law, entrepreneurship, and academia. He worked as an attorney for a period but quickly gravitated toward entrepreneurial ventures. In 2004, he co-founded Unspam Technologies, a company focused on reducing unwanted email through tools like the “Do Not Spam Registry.” He also launched Project Honey Pot, an open-source community project designed to identify and track spammers and malicious bots online.
Prince’s expertise in internet law and digital security also led him into academia, where he taught courses on cyberlaw at the University of Illinois College of Law. This unique combination of practical business experience, technical expertise, and legal insight laid the foundation for his next and most successful venture: Cloudflare.
Founding Cloudflare
In 2009, Prince teamed up with Michelle Zatlyn, a fellow Harvard Business School graduate, and Lee Holloway, a software developer, to create Cloudflare. The company officially launched in 2010 at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, positioning itself as a service to make websites faster and more secure.
Cloudflare’s core technology combined content delivery networks (CDNs), distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, and web optimization into one platform, making it easier and more affordable for businesses of all sizes to protect and scale their online presence. The company’s mission—”to help build a better internet”—resonated with developers, enterprises, and governments around the world.
Cloudflare grew rapidly, signing up millions of customers, from small blogs to Fortune 500 corporations. Today, it processes a significant portion of global web traffic, serving as a critical backbone of the modern internet. Prince’s vision and leadership have been central to Cloudflare’s rise, particularly his emphasis on transparency, innovation, and trust.
IPO and Financial Success
Cloudflare went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2019, debuting under the ticker symbol NET. The IPO was a success, and Cloudflare’s valuation surged in the years that followed as demand for cybersecurity and content delivery infrastructure increased globally.
As CEO, Prince holds a significant ownership stake in Cloudflare, which, combined with his compensation and investments, has driven his personal fortune to an estimated $6.5 billion. This wealth places him among the wealthiest figures in the technology sector, though he is often more focused on Cloudflare’s mission than on personal accolades.
Leadership and Controversies
Prince has developed a reputation as an outspoken and sometimes controversial leader, unafraid to take bold stances on issues of internet freedom and platform responsibility. He has made headlines for decisions to terminate services for extremist or dangerous websites, balancing Cloudflare’s philosophy of neutrality with a responsibility to prevent real-world harm. These decisions have sparked debate about the role of private companies in governing online speech.
Despite the controversies, Prince has generally been praised for his transparency in explaining the reasoning behind Cloudflare’s actions and for fostering public discussion about the ethical responsibilities of internet infrastructure providers.
Philanthropy and Public Engagement
Prince has supported philanthropic initiatives, particularly those tied to internet access, education, and entrepreneurship. He has also remained engaged with the academic community, frequently speaking at conferences and universities about the future of the web, digital privacy, and the challenges of balancing innovation with regulation. His advocacy reflects a consistent theme in his career: using technology to empower people while protecting them from harm.
All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below.
