Yasmin Abdi - Access Point Interview

This interview featured Yasmin, a cybersecurity professional who shared her journey from being the family's tech troubleshooter to leading global cybersecurity teams at major companies including Google, Meta, and Snapchat. Yasmin discussed her passion for cybersecurity stemming from a desire to "stop the bad guy" in the digital world and her problem-solving mindset. She emphasized the importance of diversity in technology, noting that as a Black Muslim woman, she was often the only one in her position with less than 3% of cybersecurity professionals being Black women. Yasmin also shared her ambitious mission to create 100,000 tech jobs in Somalia by 2030, viewing technology as "a tool for liberation" to rebuild the country. She recently left Snapchat after five years to pursue entrepreneurship, believing that ownership is crucial in the current economic climate. Throughout her career, she has maintained a philosophy of "lifting others as I climb" and aims to increase diversity in cybersecurity by demystifying the field and highlighting various career paths beyond technical roles.