Eyal Waldman, Mellanox CEO, is leaving the networking equipment company he founded, six months after its $7bn acquisition by Nvidia.
Waldman, who pocketed an estimated $270m, told Globes: “When we closed the deal, I already knew that I was leaving. You build a company over 21 years and make all the decisions and you don’t want to be number two.”
Waldman is an outspoken entrepreneur, know for his “left-leaning political views”. For example, last month the company hired 100 outsourced Palestinian sub-contractors as salaried employees. Waldman has also opposed an Israeli government proposal to annex parts of the West Bank.
And life after Mellanox? When asked last year what he would do when the Nvidia deal completed, he replied: “I’ll continue dabbling in philanthropy, but it will not be my main business. I also have a private life—isn’t that okay? I received a lot of offers now, and I’ve turned them all down.”
Here is an offer he has now accepted. Waldman will join the board of Check Point Software, subject to shareholder approval.
