Moving up the ladder increasingly feels like working in a state agency, where people remain in the same roles for 20–25 years, unintentionally limiting growth opportunities for others. It often feels like “One Akamai” no longer exists. With so many employees working remotely, it’s much harder to build the personal relationships that make teams effective and help individuals gain the visibility needed for advancement. The lack of day-to-day connection makes collaboration more transactional and career progression more challenging.
The recent shift from the anticipated “Golden Retirement” package to a scaled-down “Voluntary Retirement” offering was especially disappointing. The Golden package could have created meaningful cost savings by allowing higher-paid, long-tenured employees to exit voluntarily, while opening opportunities to promote strong internal talent at lower salary bands. That approach might have reduced the need for layoffs and created clearer pathways for career growth.
Without a meaningful retirement incentive, advancement will likely remain slow, as fewer senior roles open up. I can only assume the decision was influenced by the company’s 27-year history and the significant number of long-tenured employees who might have been eligible — along with the risk of losing substantial institutional knowledge. In a highly remote environment, knowledge transfer is already more difficult, and a large wave of departures could have had a considerable impact on the organization.
Still, the outcome feels like a missed opportunity — both for cost optimization and for creating renewed momentum in career progression.
