Akamai Technologies management check
AKAM · Information Technology · Internet Services & Infrastructure · CEO Dr. Leighton
Filings as of
3 good · 0 to watch · 3 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Flag
Have owners done well?
Trailed its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $83, against $258 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.78 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Flag
What does the CEO cost owners?
3.5% of net income$16.0m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $452.0m of net income.
- n/a
Do they own the stock?
No recent CEO filingLight activity: no buys, $2.2m sold in six months. 6 of 6 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- Flag
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -2.7% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 10.9% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
8 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Dr. Leighton. 8 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Information Technology.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 0 | 33 | |
| Pay for performance | 89 | 87 | |
| CEO cost | 5 | 35 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 47 |
| Dilution | 20 | 56 | |
| Stable leadership | 85 | 85 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Internet Services & Infrastructure, by management score. Akamai Technologies is 60th of 73 in its sector.
- 42GDDYGoDaddy82
- 225VRSNVerisign66
- 410CTSHCognizant52
- 412TERTeradyne52
- 425AKAMAkamai Technologies50
- 430ORCLOracle Corporation49
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed March 31, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr. Leighton | $16.0m | $12.4m | $6.2m | $83 | $258 | $452.0m |
| 2024 | — | $15.1m | $1.7m | $5.5m | $91 | $208 | $505.0m |
| 2023 | — | $13.4m | $26.2m | $5.1m | $113 | $152 | $548.0m |
| 2022 | — | $12.0m | $3.5m | $4.4m | $80 | $97 | $524.0m |
| 2021 | — | $12.0m | $15.7m | $4.3m | $111 | $135 | $652.0m |
The board says pay is tied most to revenue (adjusted for foreign exchange). Its other key measures: Revenue (adjusted for foreign exchange), Non-GAAP earnings per share, Non-GAAP operating income.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Light activity: no buys, $2.2m sold in six months. 6 of 6 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- SoldMani SundaramEVP and GM Security · 10b5-1 plan$882kSep 25, 2026
- SoldPaul C JosephEVP - Global Sales · 10b5-1 plan$720kSep 15, 2026
- SoldKim Salem-JacksonEVP, Chief Marketing Officer · 10b5-1 plan$569kSep 25, 2026
- SoldRobert BlumofeChief Technology Officer · 10b5-1 plan$31kJun 18, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- May 13, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 17, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 8, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 16, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 27, 2025Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Feb 25, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 16, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 26, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 15, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 24, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 13, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 25, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: May 13, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $3.1bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 117% of net income, and $1.6bn of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.5bn | $3.6bn | $3.8bn | $4.0bn | $4.2bn |
| Net income | $651.6m | $523.7m | $547.6m | $504.9m | $452.0m |
| Stock-based pay | $202.8m | $217.2m | $328.5m | $393.4m | $459.4m |
| Buybacks | $522.3m | $608.0m | $654.0m | $557.5m | $800.0m |
| Dividends | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diluted shares | 166m | 160m | 155m | 154m | 147m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.