The Gate 15 Interview EP 54. Brandon Dixon on Artificial Intelligence, getting your hands dirty & long, long runs

In this episode of The Gate 15 Interview, Andy Jabbour speaks with Brandon Dixon. Brandon has worn many hats, from security engineer to entrepreneur. Today, he serves at a Partner AI Strategist for Microsoft, Strategic Advisory and Partner with NinjaJobs, and is a tremendous athlete. Brandon has dedicated his career to information security, focusing on analysis, solution development, and process refinement. As the Security AI Strategist for Microsoft Research, he is advancing fully autonomous security outcomes. Previously, Brandon led the product release of Copilot for Security. He also served as VP of Strategy and Product at RiskIQ, a San Francisco startup acquired by Microsoft, where he helped integrate the business and launched Defender Threat Intelligence and Defender External Attack Surface Management. Brandon has developed several public solutions, including PassiveTotal (acquired by RiskIQ), NinjaJobs (acquired by Starfish Partners), PDF X-RAY, and Blockade.io. His research and development in various security topics have earned him accolades from major security vendors and industry peers. Learn more about Brandon on LinkedIn.

In the discussion Brandon and Andy discuss:

• Brandon’s Background.
• Three “Big Things” in AI Brandon’s paying attention to in 2025.
• Entrepreneurship: “Make sure the idea is something you personally care about.”
• The value of falling short.
• Resilience.
• Roasting Coffee (see link below!)
• Balance.
• Fitness: from BMX to ultras.
• We play Three Questions! Whippets, Big Sky, and long runs.
• More!

Selected links:

• Beans to Bots: Hacking My Coffee Machine with AI
• Security Chaos Engineering: Sustaining Resilience in Software and Systems