In this paper we are investigating how career tracks are being developed at Swedish higher education institutions in the aftermath of a new autonomy reform, launched in 2011. The study is based on semi-structured interviews and documentary studies from three Swedish universities of which one is a business private, one is a technical university and one is a comprehensive university. All three universities have introduced tenure track systems based on promotion criteria. The paper revolves around some of the tensions/key issues we have identified in relation to tenure track systems. These include the scope of the tenure track in relation to other academic posts, the use of hard (metrics) or soft (peer review) promotion criteria, the division of academic tasks, and mobility (international and across industries). The results show big differences between the universities, e.g. regarding the scope of the tenure track and the use of promotion criteria.