# Identity security leader

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/experts/alex-weinert/
Last updated: 2026-09-20
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

---

## Bio

Alex Weinert leads identity security work at Microsoft and is the author of a run of posts that changed how the industry talks about passwords, most famously "Your Pa$$word doesn't matter," which argued from Microsoft's own attack telemetry that composition rules and rotation policies barely move the outcome while multi-factor authentication does.

Profile built from public employer publications and press records.

## Where their work shows up

The argument landed because of the data behind it: Microsoft sees attack traffic at a volume almost nobody else can observe, and publishing what actually compromises accounts made the case that a security team could take to its own leadership. It is a large part of why complexity rules and forced rotation fell out of favour, and why [MFA](https://startwithidentity.com/rankings/best-mfa-solutions/) and then [phishing-resistant](https://startwithidentity.com/rankings/best-phishing-resistant-mfa/) methods became the default recommendation. See [password spraying](https://startwithidentity.com/techniques/password-spraying/), [MFA fatigue](https://startwithidentity.com/techniques/mfa-fatigue-push-bombing/), and [what is passwordless](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-passwordless/).