Bloomberg Talks: Gen Digital CEO Vincent Pilette Talks Cybersecurity
Date: November 14, 2025
Guest: Vincent Pilette, CEO of Gen Digital
Host(s): Bloomberg
Episode Overview
This episode of Bloomberg Talks dives into the escalating importance of cybersecurity in a hyper-digital world. Host(s) speak with Vincent Pilette, CEO of Gen Digital (maker of Norton and others), about the rapidly evolving threat landscape, the critical role of AI—both as a weapon for hackers and as a shield for consumers—and practical strategies for protection during high-risk periods like the holidays. Pilette also discusses how Gen Digital leverages AI to stay ahead, the company's financial performance, and the growing overlap between cyber protection, personal privacy, and financial wellness.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Dynamic Threat Landscape
Timestamp: 01:28 - 02:10
- AI as a Double-Edged Sword:
Pilette stresses that AI is fueling both the sophistication and volume of cyber threats, making detection harder than ever."The threat landscape is very dynamic... now all enabled by AI, which really increase the complexity of the threat, the sophistication of the threats and [is] becoming very difficult to detect." – Vincent Pilette [01:28]
- Consumers Are Now the Primary Target:
As enterprises improve their defenses, everyday consumers become increasingly vulnerable.- Common threats: Deep fakes, scams, phishing, and data breaches.
- The financial impact on US consumers exceeds $15 billion and is growing at a double-digit rate.
How Data Gets Compromised
Timestamp: 02:10 - 03:09
- Prevalence of Social Engineering:
"Today 80% of the threat facing consumers are scam or social engineering." – Vincent Pilette [02:23]
- Attack Vectors:
- Data harvested from social media, breached from e-commerce, or stolen on the dark web.
- AI-generated phishing websites: Over 140,000 detected in the previous quarter alone.
"With AI tools, very sophisticated personalized emails or texts are fooling consumers." – Vincent Pilette [02:46]
Gen Digital’s AI-Powered Cybersecurity
Timestamp: 03:09 - 04:06
- Defensive AI:
Gen Digital uses AI to not just automate but innovate security, including real-time scam detection for texts, emails, and voices.- Integrated deep fake detection in OEM (chip manufacturer) solutions.
"We're the first one to come with the full model for anti scam and being able to detect real time scams... We're embedding that more into chip manufacturers to create deep fake solutions." – Vincent Pilette [03:30]
- Continuous Innovation:
The company is deeply investing in AI-driven threat protection.
Spending Trends & Financial Performance
Timestamp: 04:06 - 05:28
- Continued Investment in Cybersecurity:
Despite broader market uncertainties, spending remains strong and is increasing."People are investing more into making sure that the defense is becoming more and more sophisticated to address the overall threat landscape." – Vincent Pilette [04:41]
- Gen Digital’s Performance:
- Another “beat and raise” quarter with ~25% growth.
- Expansion beyond core security into privacy, identity, and financial wellness.
"As you protect your data, you want to protect your financial position, you also want to help consumer manage and grow that position." – Vincent Pilette [05:10]
Holiday Season Risks & Consumer Protection
Timestamp: 05:28 - 06:16
- Holiday Shopping Spike in Threats:
- More transactions lead to more opportunities for hackers.
- Importance of vigilance: verifying websites, monitoring credit card use, and leveraging anti-scam tools.
"Everybody wants to go out and shop more, dine more and that's at every point in time you're exposing your personal data out. ... we advise everyone to be to be cautious these days. Hackers are out there and trying to collect your personal digital footprint." – Vincent Pilette [05:40]
Digital Wallets, Crypto & Expanding Attack Surfaces
Timestamp: 06:16 - 06:55
- Broader Digital Footprint = Higher Risk:
Adoption of new payment methods like crypto wallets increases exposure."The overall trend is to move more online in many different dimensions including the the method of payments." – Vincent Pilette [06:29]
Trust, AI, and Authenticity in Cybersecurity
Timestamp: 06:55 - 07:33
- Deep Fakes and Eroding Trust:
The difficulty of distinguishing reality from AI-generated content elevates the need for deep fake detection and authenticity tools."It's not only cybersecurity failure, it's also a time where with AI it's difficult to detect what's reality and what's a fake." – Vincent Pilette [07:05]
- Gen Digital is prioritizing features that help users identify machine-produced content.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On AI in Cybersecurity:
"We're the first one to come with the full model for anti scam and being able to detect real time scams... Is this message real or not? Is this video real or not? Is this voice real or not?" – Vincent Pilette [03:30]
- On the Consumer Threat Environment:
"The overall damages for the consumers in the US alone is over $15 billion and growing double digit these days." – Vincent Pilette [01:55]
- On Financial Wellness as Security:
"As you protect your data, you want to protect your financial position, you also want to help consumer manage and grow that position." – Vincent Pilette [05:10]
- On Coping with Holiday Threats:
"We constantly educate our customers to make sure that these days they really controlling where do they put their credit cards, which website they go and shop from..." – Vincent Pilette [05:45]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [01:28] – Shifting threat landscape and AI's role
- [02:23] – How consumers are most commonly targeted
- [03:30] – Gen Digital’s AI-based anti-scam tools explained
- [04:41] – Cybersecurity spending trends and company growth
- [05:40] – Increased holiday threats and consumer recommendations
- [06:29] – Risks of the expanding digital/crypto ecosystem
- [07:05] – Battling deep fakes and maintaining trust
Tone & Closing
Vincent Pilette’s tone is pragmatic, urgent, and focused on innovation. He highlights both the magnitude of cyber risks and the practical tools available to counter them, emphasizing that both companies and consumers must stay vigilant—and that AI can be as much a solution as it is a threat.