Vantaggi
Akamai was built from the ground up by engineers and engineering principles. Engineers are really treated as core assets of the company and have the opportunities to effect change. There are numerous internal programs that allow an ambitious employee to both learn about new projects, present on their own projects, or nominate new projects to improve the company or offer a new service to our customers. Telecommuting is definitely an option. You're given the tools you need to be able to work anywhere.
Svantaggi
There is a lot of legacy systems, legacy tools and legacy methods that are difficult for new-hires to pick up and learn. It's difficult for a new-hire to be able to significantly contribute within the first few months. Documentation is really scattered and difficult to nail down. Much of the knowledge is tribal knowledge that is handed down from engineer to engineer. As Akamai has gotten bigger, it feels as if they're starting to nickle & dime where they can. Yes cost-cutting measures are expected as you turn into a multi-national corporation, but some decisions really seem to focus on reducing cost, and not really recognizing the consequences of those cost reductions.