The People Behind the Light

Most of Lumentum’s work is not visible to the people who rely on it. It happens in cleanrooms, labs, fabs, design reviews, and production meetings - in the careful decisions and repeated steps that allow light to carry information across the world.

Behind that work are people, and Lumentum’s recognition as one of Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces in Tech 2026 is their achievement.

Awards are never the whole story of a company, but they can reflect something important: how people relate to their work and to one another, day by day, so innovation and complex ideas can become a reality. At Lumentum, that work helps enable the optical and photonic technologies behind AI infrastructure, cloud computing, networking, sensing, and advanced manufacturing.

Our CEO, Michael Hurlston, recently spoke on CNBC about why the story of the American tech worker is not over. I think about that often in my role. The work is changing, but the need for skilled people is growing and, in many ways, it is becoming more important. The technologies shaping this era need people who can build, test, improve, troubleshoot, lead, teach, and push curiosity forward.

Lumentum continues to grow and seek talent across disciplines. You can see that in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Lumentum is establishing a new manufacturing facility to produce advanced indium phosphide-based optical devices that support AI infrastructure. We expect that site to create and preserve more than 400 jobs. You can also see it in our San Jose, California fab, where teams are expanding to support advanced laser and semiconductor manufacturing. And you can see it around the globe - not only in manufacturing, but also in our commitment to early-career talent. This summer alone, we are proud to host nearly 150 interns and co-ops.

These are not abstract investments. They are places where careers are built by hand and mind, through training, repetition, curiosity, and teamwork.

For us, strong culture cannot be reduced to a list of benefits or a few slogans. It shows up in whether a new technician has someone patient to learn from. Whether a team can disagree honestly and still move forward together. Whether employees can see a path to grow. Whether the company remembers that innovation depends on trust as much as technical skill.

We are proud of this recognition, and we are also careful with it. Being named to a list does not mean the work of building a better workplace is finished. It means we have something worth continuing, improving, and protecting.

To those considering joining us: we are building technology that helps the world connect, compute, and move information. We are also building teams. There is room here for people who want to learn a craft, solve hard problems, and contribute to work that has real weight.

To those already at Lumentum: this recognition belongs to you. You are the people behind the light. 

As we continue to grow, let’s keep building a workplace where people feel challenged, supported, and proud of the work they do together.