Hype Event Protection: How Akamai & Queue-it Stop Bots at Scale, with Ilia Bromberg & Martin Larsen

In this episode of the Smooth Scaling Podcast, Ilia Bromberg (Akamai) and Martin Larsen (Queue-it) explore the evolution of bots, the growing complexity of detecting them, and the real-world impact on hype events like product drops and ticket sales. They introduce Hype Event Protection, a new joint solution from Queue-it and Akamai, designed to level the playing field for genuine users. The discussion covers technical approaches to bot mitigation, performance optimization, and the importance of layered defenses for high-demand online events.

Episode page

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• (00:00) - Welcome & Guest Introductions
• (01:01) - Why Bots Are a Problem
• (04:06) - Good Bots vs. Bad Bots
• (07:49) - How Bots Have Evolved
• (11:42) - Bots Move Into E-commerce
• (13:10) - Residential IPs and Hidden Networks
• (15:42) - What Is a Hype Event?
• (18:46) - Why Queue-it and Akamai Partnered
• (22:20) - Fairness, Trust & Brand Reputation
• (28:36) - How Hype Event Protection Works
• (35:59) - Preparing for Big Events
• (44:34) - Real Results from Beta Customers
• (46:42) - How to Get Started & Wrap-Up

Ilia Bromberg is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Akamai Technologies with nearly 30 years experience helping organizations secure and scale their digital environments. A seasoned leader in web and application security, he has been named Akamai’s Solutions Engineer of the Year and has earned multiple hackathon and innovation awards. He holds CISSP, CCSP, and GWAPT certifications and specializes in WAFs, bot management, API security, DNS, and zero trust technologies.

Martin Larsen is a Distinguished Product Architect at Queue-it. Starting as a software developer, Martin was one of the company’s first employees. He played an instrumental role in building the foundations of Queue-it and is heavily involved in activities including the design, architecture, testing, and deployment of the virtual waiting room, as well as defining and executing on product vision. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo. 

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