#transformation

There were layoffs right after Jon left Sharp for Inova. At Inova he has been leading a lot of digital and AI transformations rapidly which makes some of us think we may see layoffs soon. Wanted to get a sense of how his stint at Sharp was and if he is a high velocity transformation chief who might leave behind a trail of bodies and layoffs or if he is someone who is great for the long haul?

Verizon has a long history of successful execution on transformative and bold initiatives at scale. From go90, aol, yahoo, plus play, hum, blue jeans, finance transformation, Verizon global services, return to office, project 626 for customer service, and more - we have a record we can be proud of. Our leaders are experts in organizing teams in ways that result in role clarity, expertise, and results. This winning culture will do the same for our transformative AI initiatives. I have zero doubt how this will play out. Let’s go team!

Dan signed up for multi billion dollar transformation. 15k layoffs wasn't enough. More cuts def coming and it seems like execs are getting real with their teams and just flat out scrutinizing everything.

The Sr Directors are also lacking one of the two main key skills. 1) leadership 2) technical knowledge.

Only a handful around that can do both. Can't grow a company if u are just one.

Bumping this up for visibility. OP: @ap+1kkyyeqjg

Head for the hills

Of all the job functions AI is evaluating within Verizon, VBG leadership is uniquely ripe for replacement. While they talk about transformation initiatives, gap closure plans, and ad hoc Tiger Teams, none have produced real change. Just executive programs to meet their PA objectives.

The daily focus of status calls, roll up forecast reporting, escalations - those are human bottleneck inefficiencies AI will eliminate. Similarly, holding meetings to plan for meetings with higher level human leaders are also productivity black holes, easily identified via meta-analyses of calendar workflows. And the track record of decisions made after too much deliberation…the results achieved are uninspiring, to put it kindly.

While The leadership enjoyed MWC, the sales kick off in EMEA, The Superbowl, and the hospitality suite at CES, the real work of transformation languished back at the office.

AI discovery assessments in 2026 are ruthless. It won't be long now.

Another round of layoffs at Verizon is again being presented as part of the company’s transformation. Employees have heard this language before. Each cycle promises a reset and a stronger future for the business.

At the same time former CEO Hans Vestberg has moved into an advisory role at Consello. Like many executives before him he has transitioned from leading a major telecom operator into a position where his relationships and experience in the industry become the product.

For employees watching these cycles repeat the contrast is hard to miss. Workers face uncertainty and job losses while leadership often moves on to new opportunities within the same industry ecosystem.

Telecom is entering one of the largest investment periods in decades. Artificial intelligence data demand and digital infrastructure are reshaping the industry. The real question is whether Verizon is positioning itself to lead that next phase or simply managing costs while others shape the future.

Employees have heard the transformation message many times.

At some point the question becomes simple.

Dan, can you hear them now.

Good luck, y'all.

Geoff transformed a strong healthy Oak into a decaying hollowed-out tree. TIMBER!!!

This isn’t to be negative or to drag Fidelity Abby or the company as a whole. As a younger employee I certainly didn’t get to enjoy the Ned times, by the time I joined the green line was fading away as the main marketing tactic. Nonetheless, Fidelity allowed me to transform my life from being homeless to being a successful young licensed entrepreneur. The skills I learned and the people I worked with provided value to me that is unlike any other. It was an honor to work in the branch during the growth phase and see the success of the new associates. There was change but the one thing that always stayed the same was that fidelity was home it was family it was great. We all talked up the company because we really believed in it. At some point over the last year, people have stopped singing the praises of the green machine. I watched what was once a great branch full of culture and teamwork turn into a place of fear. Sure some people work harder than others but none of us were slackers. The fear has caused everyone to keep to themselves and that is resulting in accusations that we do not want to contribute.

THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP CLIENTS ARE FIDELITY. As someone who talks to clients all day long, trust me when I say they want the old fidelity back and so do the employees!!!!!

GL to anyone tagged to transformation / CO work in a HCOL

Read awhile back about 4-5 big transformations. Haven’t seen or heard much other than the office collapse. Any word on what is going on with that?

Let's call it what it is.

There's a particular kind of cruelty that doesnt scream.

No permanence. No space. No autonomy. Police in the lobby. Badge logs. Presence monitored like attendance in detention.

Five days in office — not because the work demands it,
but because control does.

And then you ask:
"Why is the morale low?"

Dignity doesnt disappear overnight.
It erodes — policy by policy.

Engineered humiliation that nobody deserves, it subtle.
It smiles in town halls.
It calls itself "transformation"

Loyalty isn't dead.

Respect is.

For those currently in the Transformation or tagged CO dedicated how many of you have received the STEER email? Trying to understand the actual substance of this seemingly nice program versus the stated goal of 'supporting internal transfers' Has anyone seen any concrete results or movements from it yet?

Also, for any former colleagues who were let go: did you receive this communication prior to your departure? Any insights or 'lessons learned' regarding what this email actually signals would be greatly appreciated.

🌍 Citi strategic Technology & Operations sites — 2026

🇮🇳 India (largest global delivery backbone)

Cities: Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad

Why strategic
• Citi’s largest engineering and operations workforce globally
• Core development for payments, markets tech, data platforms, risk, and regulatory reporting
• Major transformation programs (cloud migration, platform modernization)

👉 India remains Citi’s primary scale location for engineering + operations.

⸻

🇵🇱 Warsaw (major EU technology & ops hub)

Role
• Institutional banking technology
• Payments, securities services, and regulatory reporting
• Risk, data, and controls functions
• Strong shared services through Citi Handlowy

Why strategic
• EU regulatory presence + lower cost than Western Europe
• Deep engineering and quantitative talent pool
• Important resiliency location for London and Frankfurt teams

💡 Warsaw is one of Citi’s most important continental Europe T&O hubs.
This is especially relevant given you’re currently in Warsaw — Citi continues to hire heavily here for tech, data, and controls roles.

⸻

🇺🇸 Tampa (global operations powerhouse)

Role
• One of Citi’s biggest global operations centers
• AML, payments processing, client onboarding, reconciliation
• Increasing technology and automation engineering presence

Why strategic
• Scale + time zone coverage for Americas
• Critical resiliency site for New York

⸻

🇺🇸 Irving (Dallas) — transformation & tech control hub

Role
• Risk technology
• Data governance
• Enterprise transformation programs
• Regulatory remediation engineering

This site became extremely important during Citi’s consent-order remediation work.

⸻

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur (APAC shared services + tech)

Role
• Operations processing
• Finance and reporting platforms
• Growing engineering and automation teams

Why strategic
• Cost efficiency
• Strong multilingual operations capability

⸻

🇨🇳 Shanghai / Dalian (select technology delivery)
• Engineering and operations support for APAC platforms
• Some reduction and restructuring, but still important for regional delivery

⸻

🇭🇺 Budapest
• Finance operations
• Treasury and reporting platforms
• Increasing automation and data engineering footprint

⸻

🇲🇽 Mexico City (institutional ops & tech)
• Despite Banamex retail separation, institutional tech and ops remain
• Strong nearshore engineering for U.S. teams

⸻

🌐 Secondary but important T&O resiliency sites

These are smaller but strategically useful for redundancy:
• 🇵🇭 Manila — operations processing & client services
• 🇨🇷 Costa Rica — finance and reporting ops
• 🇵🇱 Olsztyn — operations and servicing (complements Warsaw)
• 🇮🇳 additional tier-2 Indian cities (expansion capacity)

Bloomberg, 2 weeks ago. Qualcomm needs to change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdFc2rJb6h8

What did Todd mean in the SAGA Townhall around having an ILS transformation?

New leaders will come up with a aligned strategy to transform this organization. That also means coming up metrics that can be measured consistently and monitored. Next six months are critical for the company. I assume there might be further reductions due to realignment but time will tell.

Today, I just expect them to introduce department leaders and vision & mission for each department.

We all have to contribute tremendously to turn this company around. If we don’t then there is a risk that we wont have the “W” near our house.

What you can do to save yourself from layoff is to make their strategy successful.
You can work hard but working smart and being strategic is more important.

It's just too much of a cost center in the eyes of Jane and her EMT's. The expense associated with it is a blot on the balance sheet and has now become unbearable for senior management. They think they can manage the present administration into leashing the FRB/OCC and are confident that they can close the regulatory issues by early next year. Throughout this year there is bound to be multiple rounds of focussed RIF's. Why multiple? Because they can't get rid of everyone all at once plus there's the small matter of not attracting higher SUI taxes ..especially from New York. Since SUI pays for unemployment, large layoff's cause states to increase Citi's contributions and a dime spent on anything else means a dime less in Jane's compensation - unacceptable

As Trim (welcome back Trim!) indicated in his post, layoffs will happen every few months. And there is likely going to be deep cuts in Transformation (Anand S), Risk Mgmt (second line), Data (A Nawani) and Tech that supports transformation. Likely Financial Crimes as well due to offshoring. Some of these may see cuts ahead of others.

Jane and EMT are sick of Transformation. They feel it's holding the bank back, doesn't justify the expense (never mind that empires were built under Jane's watch) and is wholly unneccessary. They have made up their mind to cut the umbilical cord. If a latger Dem administration comes in and brings back regulatory scrutiny...well, Jane will be long gone by then. WHoever is in the chair at the time..let that person solve for it.

Folks in any of the above....start updating your resume, upskilling, applyin and interviewing and activating network. You all will need it. Focus less on Citi's work...do the bare minimum. They don't care what work you did or didn't do when the RIF lists are prepared. Look out for yourself first

No good news anywhere, messages do not bring any clarity nor calm and employees continue to be pushed and punished... Past and current changes and transformations are not working, we continue to move as a low-cost (cheap) company and these are the results we'll maintain (low cost/cheap). I really think this company deserves more than this

So, received announcement for POD 3.0. It seems to be a “every account for itself” model and creating technology silos. If a POD needs XYZ skills; the POD is supposed to build that skill, even though it may be existing somewhere within Kyndryl. Current practices that support multiple industries being broken down to fit this POD model.

Before the DXC Q3 earnings call begins grab your DXC Bullsh-t Bingo card and listen closely for the following phrases:
“Strategic realignment under the new brand”
"AI-enabled transformation”
“Strong pipeline”
“More to come as the brand matures”
“We’re pleased with the progress”

There was a CEO named Whelan
Who set up his company for failing
They missed all their targets
We're punished by markets
Was surprised when Woods started wailing

Spotify was a broken model to begin with especially in Fidelity.

But What's the inside story on how they realized this agile model is not working in Tech. After spending millions over the years on all change.

Beginning May 3, the company will implement one of the largest structural changes in its history, driven by the adoption of Oracle software and a shift toward a more siloed operating model.

Goal: Decrease operating cost by reducing high salary people and not paying for hourly worker benefits as there are many store employees.

1. Take away store employee holidays so the full timers quit. Huge savings on the benefits. Then only hire part timers to replace.

2. Close OPO to make as many people quit as possible. So far under 100 but soon it will be up to 200. Could even go up to 300 within 3 months of OPO closer.

3. Few months after closing OPO, Move head quarter to a cheaper area and cash 400 million for 4 buildings. Expect people who live nearby to quit. People moved to Chicago for a job and bought a home nearby to have balanced life style. Lot of people who work at a head quarter will quit if office moves far away. Near the farms where it is cheaper land or in middle by staples office on I355.

Leftover downtowners will quit if they are not by commuter train.

Total people who quit will be around 1000 at the end without any layoff or severance package. This guys know what they are doing.

Where do we believe or know where majority of the layoffs are going to be? Do you think it’s all transformation or more than that?

https://www.businessinsider.com/citi-jane-fraser-memo-old-habits-performance-job-cuts-transformation-2026-1

So is JC’s message Maverick pushing forward with training in Feb and going live in May?

CHRO: Set the Foundation?

What does success look like?? What is different than today??

Where are we deliberately going—and why does it matter???

Expect major layoffs this year. All the areas going through "transformation" like cfo, ops, and brand are planning to offshore roles or replace with AI. ETX was the test case before rollout to other areas.

They have reduction in US headcount as a goal for each area. Search deep enough on Sharepoint & OneDrive and the details can be found.

Somebody legitimately wrote this paragraph and thought, "Yeah this makes total sense" and clicked send to the entire company. I get from this that mass layoffs will be coming before the 1/14 meeting (in particular the last line), but who knows.

"To grow boldly, we are launching our 2026 theme: “Transform as ONE.” I have chosen
this because true, sustainable transformation is not an individual pursuit; it is a shared
journey that requires us to be aligned in purpose, unified in action, and strengthened by collective ambition. Under this theme, we will pursue our directions of Exceed and Excel, Agility and Action, and Discover and Do through “One for All” Communication and
Collaboration. We must operate with the understanding that finding efficiencies is not
about doing more with less, but rather about doing better with purpose."

It's 2026 & ITS GO time ! GO= Results OR Get Out !Time to put $ & mouth together & stop the gaslighting & BS. Action+Results+Real "Digital Transformation." Clients & Employees want results from the Board & low producing Executives Who have no personality.

++Transparency~Publish Board Minutes & Agenda++employee, retiree, and client representation on board++
++Transparency~Publish Executive Compensation Packages++
++Transparency~Publish full financial & audit report in Annual Report
++Transparency~Publish full Rating Agencies reports on website++
++Transform Website++
++Transform Mobile App++
++Add Brokerage Accounts++
++Add Managed Accounts++
++Add Financial Plans++
++Add Retirement Score Calculator on Website++
++Reduce work loads for Client Relationship Managers & overworked and underpaid segments in Operations++
++New Leadership Over Operations, IT & Sales++
++Rebrand & change corporate name and hire a PR Firm to clean up poor external image++
++Automate all distributions & loans++eliminate paper like it was supposed to be done 15 yrs ago
++More CRM support & stop the wage theft working 60 hours per week++
++Change investments in 401k++
++Allow clients to communicate with Text & Chat++
++eliminate team CX as they SuCX. Use Mediallia to survey the F.u.CK out of participants
fire all non performers

• Streamline workloads for CRMs & Administrations Operations++new leaders needed !
  cut Executive Pay & 3 Year Special Pay Shares
  put laugh track of CFO on corporate website just for s.chits & giggles
• stop running behind competitors & get your as--s together w/system upgrades & legislation
  Implement associate solutions & stop paying consultants through the nose
  Eliminate 50 page performance review process & eliminate monthly webinars**
  ~~stop posting on Linkedin during company time & ban por.n during business hours
  fire heads of sales, it, admin ops, hr, call center, & all current execs & board mbers
  get Andrew cuomo, chris cuomo, & eric adams on board

Trying to get through the NEW yorker

Wisdom of the crowd. 2026 looking like a hugely transformative and impactful year.
What does Chevron do well, poorly, and what risks lurk around the corner?

The company hired me to lead their "Agile Transformation."
I don't know what Agile means.
Nobody does.
That's why it works.

I make $425,000 a year.
To move sticky notes.
From left to right.
On a board.
The board is digital now.
The sticky notes cost $80,000 in Jira licenses.
Progress.

Day one, I said "we need to break down silos."
Everyone nodded.
Silos are bad.
I don't know why.
But destroying them is a career.
My career.

I introduced "squads."
Squads are teams.
But disrupted.
We disrupted the teams into teams.
Different names.
Same people.
Same problems.
But Agile problems now.
Agile problems are strategic.

A senior engineer asked what we're actually changing.
I said, "The mindset."
He asked what that means.
I said, "It's a journey."
He asked where we're going.
I said, "Toward agility."
He asked what agility means.
I pointed at the sticky notes.
They were moving left to right.
That's velocity.
We have velocity now.

The VP of Engineering said two-week sprints don't fit their work.
I said, "That's waterfall thinking."
Waterfall is bad.
Like silos.
I don't know what waterfall is.
But I know it's bad.
She stopped talking.
Waterfall accusations end conversations.

We had a retrospective.
In the retro, we discussed what went wrong.
Everything went wrong.
We put it on sticky notes.
Then we moved the sticky notes.
Into a column called "Parking Lot."
The Parking Lot is where problems go to die.
It's full.
We don't look at it.
That's agile.

Velocity is up 40%.
I defined velocity.
I also defined the points.
I also defined the stories.
We're crushing it.
At the things I made up.
To measure.
Ourselves.

The CEO asked for ROI.
I showed a chart.
The chart went up.
Charts should go up.
This one did.
I didn't label the Y-axis.
Nobody asked.
Leadership is confidence.

We do standups now.
Every day.
We stand.
For 45 minutes.
Standing is agile.
Sitting is waterfall.
My legs hurt.
But we're transforming.

The transformation is now "Phase 3."
Phase 1 was assessment.
Phase 2 was implementation.
Phase 3 is "continuous improvement."
Continuous means forever.
Forever means job security.
I'm very secure.

My contract was extended.
Three more years.
For "cultural impact."
The culture is confused.
But impacted.

Agile transformation isn't about being agile.
It's about transforming.
Continuously.
Toward more transformation.
The destination is the journey.
The journey is billable.

All of GT may be a dumpster fire, but CP&I somehow manages to be the main attraction. At this point, logic has officially resigned. JS’s directs and their teams are sprinting in every possible direction like headless chickens, enthusiastically throwing work at the wall with zero business alignment and even less clarity.

My engineering manager now treats strategy like a daily horoscope - every morning comes with a brand-new “priority,” allegedly inspired by whatever whim floated down from JS overnight. Meanwhile, CP&I is aggressively hiring engineers for teams where absolutely nothing is happening… while simultaneously loaning people out to PLM because, surprise, that’s where the work is.

In a truly impressive feat of leadership gymnastics, JS laid off all contractors, declared a noble shift to a 100% FTE “engineering excellence” model, and then - plot twist - brought in external vendors to help with engineering development. One can only marvel at the cost of this enlightenment.

As for ITC, it’s probably best described as a very expensive travel club. A leadership group of about ten makes frequent pilgrimages there, producing no visible outcomes except invoices. Rough estimate: ~$200K burned for vibes and frequent-flyer miles.

All in all, CP&I remains a fascinating social experiment. With VA now inheriting Technology, I’m genuinely curious to see whether this saga ends in transformation… or just a bigger, better-funded mess.

Sounds familiar?

Starbucks did not lose $30 billion because of bad coffee. It lost it because the company
mispriced what actually created its value.

When Starbucks appointed a McKinsey-trained executive as CEO, the mandate was operational discipline. Costs were scrutinized. Processes were standardized. Stores were pushed to behave like efficiency machines rather than community spaces.

On paper, the logic made sense.

Consultants optimize margins by removing friction. But Starbucks was never a pure efficiency business. Its premium pricing depended on brand emotion, store experience, and cultural loyalty. Those are intangible assets, but they carry real monetary value.

As efficiency initiatives rolled out, customers noticed. Service quality declined. Stores felt
transactional. The brand lost its emotional moat. Foot traffic softened. Growth expectations reset. Markets reacted quickly. Over 17 months, Starbucks shed roughly $30 billion in market capitalization. Not from insolvency risk, but from a reassessment of future cash flows tied to brand strength.

The board reversed course. The CEO exited. Strategy changed.

The wealth lesson is structural. Consulting frameworks work best where value is mechanical and repeatable. Consumer brands compound wealth through trust, identity, and habit, not just margins.

When leadership optimizes the wrong variable, scale turns small misjudgments into massive losses.

Starbucks did not fail at execution. It failed at understanding what it was actually selling.

As much as Dell keeps talking about implement all aspects of AI, it is still the tribal knowledge dependent tech company I've ever worked at. It's what makes me believe that all the AI evangelicalism is mostly to push server and storage hardware.

I mean how is AI going to make suggestions when the needed information is only available in people's heads? Also with tribal knowledge there are multiple versions of the truth. AI is good at figuring out at least the most consistent version of the truth. But then again it is all tribal knowledge and not documented.

Communication will come from CL 28+ functional management.

First batch of communications Jan 5, second batch Jan 7. Communications will continue in batches every Monday and Wednesday through January.

First couple weeks will be job offers, severances will come later in month.

Division meeting today just ended. T.P says more ISPs coming. No number given, just the same ole same ole "transformation" jargon. Also, 700 HBAs impacted by the new RTO policy. They did this knowing a lot of those folks will rage quit or simply not be able to do RTO, leading to termination. Why is EDJ leadership actively at war with the very people who make the company home office work? It sure as Sh1t aint the GPs pulling this wagon.

The slow pace of widespread job replacement by AI is not a reflection of AI's capability, but a direct consequence of organizational dysfunction. Current "agentic AI" systems are only as effective as the structured workflows they execute.

The reality in most legacy corporations like Verizon is a landscape of fragmented, siloed organizations operating under conflicting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This structure is the root cause of systemic inter-departmental conflict and blame-shifting.

An AI agent does not engage in finger-pointing; it issues a clear error code indicating a break in the designed workflow. Crucially, that error will persist until the systemic gaps are reconciled and the workflow is made functional. Many legacy companies are littered with years of broken processes, often obscured by anecdotal reporting, polished presentations, and manipulated performance metrics.

These old habits will fail when faced with systems built on hard, fast rules.

Therefore, the initial push for corporate restructuring—the mass simplification and removal of organizational layers—is not just about efficiency. It is the necessary preparation. Once these fundamental workflow gaps are addressed and optimized, the corporate architecture will be ready for large-scale agentic AI implementation. The organizational cleanup precedes the technological deployment. Get ready for the next phase.