The Untold Story Behind Akamai's Early Days and Steve Jobs' Surprising Call
Discover the intriguing encounter between Akamai co-founder Paul Sagan and Steve Jobs that shaped the future of web content delivery.
During the TiECON conference, Tom Leighton, Akamai's co-founder and CEO, revealed fascinating insights about the company's early history.
Back in early 1999, Akamai was a modest startup yet to launch its groundbreaking web content delivery service commercially. However, Steve Jobs recognized the potential of Akamai's technology. When Apple.com released an exclusive trailer for Star Wars Episode I, the surge in traffic on March 31 caused the site to crash. Akamai's servers stepped in, enabling fans worldwide to watch the trailer seamlessly.
The following day, Jobs reached out to Paul Sagan, then head of Akamai. Although their conversation details remain unclear, at one point, Jobs expressed interest in acquiring Akamai. Surprisingly, Sagan abruptly ended the call, suspecting it was an April Fools' prank since the call came on April 1. He simply couldn't believe he was speaking with Steve Jobs.
What happened next? Later that month, Akamai officially launched its service commercially. In June, Apple purchased a 5% stake in Akamai valued at $12.5 million. Akamai was never fully acquired by Apple or any other company. By October, Akamai's initial public offering marked the beginning of its rise as one of Boston's leading tech giants. Paul Sagan served as CEO from 2005 until earlier this year when Tom Leighton took over, with Sagan remaining as Executive Vice President.
One can't help but wonder how different the story might have been if Jobs had called on April 2 instead...
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