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Episode 386

Akamai CEO Tom Leighton

March 25, 2019
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About the Guest

Tom Leighton

Chief Executive Officer of Akamai
Tom Akamai is the Chief Executive Officer of Akamai Technologies, which he co-founded with Daniel Lewin in 1998 after entering a business plan competition at MIT. Under Tom’s leadership, Akamai has evolved from a Content Delivery Network into a cloud delivery and cybersecurity platforms, with revenue nearly doubling during his first five years in the role. As one of the world's preeminent authorities on algorithms for network applications and cybersecurity, Tom is also a Professor of Applied Mathematics at MIT. He has published over 100 papers and holds more than 50 patents. Tom graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1978 with a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from MIT in 1981.

Episode Overview

386: Akamai CEO Tom Leighton details the private and public sector’s growing security concerns, which has led to the company’s pivot from its traditional internet offerings to a fast-growing security business. Today, there are billions of devices in homes and offices that are not adequately secured. Bad actors have the ability to wipe out any cloud data center, which can isolate many countries from the rest of the world. Tom believes that this damage is a fraction of what could be done in future attacks, and the only way to stop these attacks is to absorb it out at the edge. We also discuss Akamai’s founding story, how the company survived the difficult times following the dot.com crash, why Tom believes the firewall’s time has passed, among other topics.


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“That damage is a fraction of what could be done with the attacks we will see in the future. The only way to stop these attacks is to absorb it out at the edge."

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