We've Reached The 'Customers Want Security' Stage, And AI Is Listening
Security Boulevard, Thursday, January 22nd, 2026
I've seen this movie before. That's why a recent LinkedIn post by Ilya Kabanov stopped me mid-doomscroll.
Kabanov described how frontier AI companies are quietly but decisively shifting into cybersecurity. They are not joining as partners or tacking on features. They are stepping up as product makers, targeting the core of the enterprise security budget. This was not some crafted press release or hype. It was sharp pattern recognition.
If you have been in tech long enough, this pattern rings familiar. Years ago, when NoSQL databases took off in the enterprise, I had a candid conversation with the CEOs of MongoDB and Couchbase. I asked if NoSQL meant 'no security.' Their answer was honest: Security was not the meaningful obstacle. Customers were. The message was clear. Security would come when customers demanded it. Until then, velocity, adoption, and developer excitement ruled.