Indian-born entrepreneur Jyoti Bansal has entered the ranks of global billionaires after the rapid rise of his AI-driven software company, Harness, which is currently valued at $5,500 million. His personal net worth now stands at approximately $2,300 million, driven largely by his ownership stake in Harness and earlier gains from selling his first startup, AppDynamics.
Bansal’s story began in a small town in Rajasthan, India. He moved to the United States on an H1-B visa with only a few hundred dollars and a clear ambition to build technology products of global scale. After earning a green card, he founded AppDynamics in 2008, a company focused on helping enterprises detect and resolve software performance issues in real time.
AppDynamics quickly gained traction with major clients such as Netflix and Priceline, at a time when digital platforms were becoming central to daily life. Bansal explained that even minor glitches could frustrate users and disrupt businesses, making fast diagnosis and resolution critical. As the company grew, it prepared for a public listing, but in early 2017, Cisco acquired AppDynamics for $3,700 million just days before its planned market debut. The business now generates more than $1,000 million in annual revenue for Cisco.
After a short break from entrepreneurship, Bansal returned with a new vision. He launched Harness to simplify and automate the increasingly complex process of testing and deploying software. The platform uses AI agents to handle tasks such as testing, optimization, and compliance, allowing engineers to focus on higher-value work. With AI accelerating code creation, Bansal noted that the volume of software is rising rapidly, creating new challenges in quality and security.
Harness serves major enterprise clients including United Airlines and Citi. The company has raised $570 million in funding, employs more than 1,200 people, and is growing at nearly 50 percent annually. It also includes multiple integrated products, such as cybersecurity firm Traceable, which Bansal founded and later merged into the platform.
An alumnus of IIT Delhi, Bansal has often cited early inspiration from technology leaders and successful Indian entrepreneurs. Looking ahead, he has expressed a clear ambition to take Harness public, aiming to complete the IPO journey he once narrowly missed.
