I feel sad, guilty and burdened. I didn’t choose HR as a career to ruin lives or to help a greedy, mismanaged company do bad deeds. This is not meant to scare and I am fearful to post as I am under NDA but I need to help if I can. In a few weeks there will be another layoff. If you are over 50, overpaid, under performing, or your function can be AI replaced you are at risk. Please be prepared. I will not log into this site again, and I will not be able to provide any more information. I am praying for all of you who may be impacted.
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Leave and take your book of business with you. There’s no saving this place and no one is coming to save you. Take care of yourselves and your family. Be smart. Get out.
Correction, if you "think" your leadership will replace your team with AI vs actually do it.
AI is expensive, especially to actually replace skilled people. If your exec drank the coolaid no data will convince them. (See Amazon and Uber recent takes on AI costs)
AI is here to stay but it's a bubble. Costs are rising, trying to usher in "tokenomics" to rationalize the cost etc. AI usage is due for a large correction, everyone knows this but CDW is slow.
More than likely, you are replaced by cheaper new labour or offshore and then they claim it's AI. It's called AI washing.
If you feel your are discriminated due to preference to offshore or imported cheaper labor, see Cognizant and Infosys lawsuits and gear up.
It's not AI, it's just classic cost cutting with cheap scab labor, and then just wash the books for investors to eat it up. That's the Outcome they are obsessed over.
@q3
This is awesome. Everyone that's tenured needs to do the same and leadership should be worried about a mutiny. Please get then for as much as you can and I hope others do the same. I want to get fired soooo bad but I keep selling and hitting goal...Catch 22. Just feeling stuck 😪
Anyone Director and above is useless currently. We used to have good leaders but most were smart and left before things turned south.
Even the "good" bosses are bad because they're all afraid to push back and are going along with the narrative because they want to protect themselves (great leaders right....selfishly smart but selfishly greedy).
I will only go the the extra mile for my customers, not my manager, director, or anyone else. Customers care about me more than my own company. It actually used to say on physical paychecks "from our customers" ... they care so much for customers that they now continuously reassign new AM's... guess relationships don't matter and that Krasny quote about "people do business with people they like" no longer applies because who cares about what the customer likes. Did they survey customers about the new GTM and if they'd like a new AM???
What do we get for hitting/surpassing goal.....lower pay while leadership gets more and more.
All I see on LinkedIn are leadership traveling all around to various partner or industry events enjoying themselves on the GP Sales produces. All smiles while the company missed earnings for 2 years. They look so proud of themselves while they keep laying off people.
See the cards aligning for a layoff myself. Over 50 and my boss asked me if I thought it was odd I wasnt being invited to meetings anymore. I told him it wasnt odd, it was a playbook and that I was collecting evidence for my external legal representatives to negotiate a better severance package. He hasn't said a word about it in 2 months of 1:1s since..but I know its coming. Appreciate the paychecks in the meantime though.. while I prep my labor attorney. Dozens of posts and emails and DMs printed and saved to Google Drive.
Sigh, so very sad to hear all this. AI taking over, canning who they want. Goes well in hand with her $200m savings, which we all know bumps her pockets. If all of leadership took pay cuts, they would hit this easily. AI could do a better job than the CEO and most management.
https://www.crn.com/news/ai/2026/cdw-ceo-christine-leahy-geared-for-growth-ai-first-initiative-will-supercharge-cdw-with-up-to-200m-in-cost-savings
Fire every manager and director that doesn’t know the difference between a switch and a router, that will save the company another 300M easy lmaooo d-mb@a$$es
They will launch any high earner and higher age without hesitation for any reason. Doesn't matter performance or history of success. Doesn't matter the customers who had the relationship with that person. Higher salary, higher age, good bye.
@ba ha! He didn’t regret leaving at first because the new bosses there and all of the changes going on there. But you guys don’t have to hear him that way. He is openly telling people how fu---d up CDW is. He isn’t fond of the GC and thinks CL needs to step out to calm the ship and make his job easier. It didn’t take long for him to figure this sh-t out.
@dp They are absolutely targeting people over 50. CDW once valued expertise, loyalty and experience, but now the focus is only on cost, customers and coworkers, be damned.
@e8
Correct I'm an ex top seller and left before GTM was rolled out.
They lied about spending time on creating new books for AM's...just looked to get close on Revenue and GP.
With the changes in comp...why would I be expected to start from scratch relationship wise.
Usually you'd incentivize to drive behavior and in sales you do that via $$$ and less stress. Lucky for me I'm smarter than both my ex manager and director and having more $ than them...they had no power over me except for my my years of dedication ro customers and CDW. In the end...some of my customers cared that I left but not CDW.
@e3 That would be a benefit to the employees who want to leave but typically companies don't want to get volunteers because the "best" employees who think they can find a better job are the first to leave and what remains are the not so best or the trouble makers who cause management issues so those are the people who get on the list before the star players. I think the board should force all directors, vp, svp, to take a pay cut before the individual workers are laid off - we have too many overpaid and underwhelming execs for a company of this size and pay them far too much for their mediocre efforts. Or just get rid of 30-40% of them and we'd all be good - including the customers!
@OP
CDW should implement a volunteer package before laying off. When organizations face the difficult decision of reducing headcount, it’s important to balance business needs with employee well-being. Instead of removing people randomly, one approach could be to create a “wish list” where employees can voluntarily express interest in leaving.
This method allows:
• Employees who are ready for their next chapter to exit with dignity.
• Critical roles and talent to be retained for business continuity.
• The process to feel more transparent and humane, reducing uncertainty and anxiety.
Such an approach acknowledges that some coworkers may already be considering new opportunities, while others are deeply committed to staying. By aligning both organizational and individual needs, CDW can manage necessary changes with empathy and fairness.
@dp
Check out LinkedIn and search for "cdw posts"
I don't go on LinkedIn daily but u haven't seen the number of posts saying its my last day at CDW or of resigning....compared to the number of new hire posts showing graduation and accepting roles at CDW or at least interns (also which thw number has skyrocketed).
It's almost like they want to get rid of tenured people that actually know the history of CDW and how things used to be before the INEPT took over and strayed from common sense.
Appreciate the courage to post. Even if you hadn't, you can put the pieces together to understand exactly what is happening. They've hammered the 'costs are too high' talk now for a while. We don't need yet another, boring lemonade stand example from Al to understand that people are going to go. I always assumed this would happen in the next 2 or so weeks so they would have time to put that press out to the market and claim costs are now better - helping round out their Q2 performance and hope for a stock jump for all of the juicy C-suites. Time will tell. Best of luck to everyone out there, what a mess.
@OP,
Thanks for posting this; your sincerity comes through. After reading it, here's my take for the thread.
The original statement is consistent and emotionally believable, but there's no verifiable evidence or documentation behind it. It could be authentic, exaggerated, mistaken, or fabricated, we just can't tell. That said, the age-based ("over 50") and AI-replacement criteria, if real and acted on, could raise legal flags, since age is a protected characteristic in many places.
I would treat this as an unconfirmed warning: worth preparing for, but not gospel.
Either way, the smart move is to always be ready. Print your documentation (reviews, kudos), keep your contacts warm, always be skilling-up, build an emergency fund, and have a pit-bull employment lawyer on speed dial. Know your rights.
No offense intended, and part of me hopes this is just someone stirring the pot for a reaction. But I've got a feeling that in "a few weeks," we'll be reading the aftermath posts.
ah chris leahy's signature move, and those that are left get ready for even more work that they think will be possible because we have copilot to ask "please summarize this". What a bunch of soulless ghouls our executive team consists of
LEADERSHIP DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU! ...
or anyone not connected to thier power circle.
If they fired 1000 people making $100k each...that's ONLY $100 million
$100 million is nothing to CDW compared to $20 BILLION in annual Revenue with operating margins at above double digits.
That's like saving half your GP for 1 yr buy replacing a knowledgeable workforce with newbies fresh out of college (and we know education as time goes on gets worse and worse).
If CDW was a major sports team....they'd be the worst team in the league as they are replacing thier all-stars and pro's with bottom of the barrel minor leaguers, hoping they find some cheaper young studs they can use for 5 yrs or until they smarten up that they could be happier and make more $ elsewhere.
@ba
They don't give up or even advertise that they get bonuses because they are not here for us of the company.
Like politicians...most of these execs maneuver thier way to these roles by connections rather than actual real experience. Glorified "yes-men" supporting and gaslighting for the people even higher above them that pit them there so they can all make millions while the normal coworker just gets fed the leftover chump change.
Who is the top sales AM in the company and how much do they make annually...pales in comparison to the execs that get the same $ if not more but also get bonuses and stock options. So the above average and lower Sales reps make anywhere from $300k down to $25k base.
At least with sales, comp is tied to monthly GP and performance to goal.... what is tied to the pay of execs? Stock performance? Earnings? Future guidance? Whatever their comp is tied to, they shouldn't be getting 1 penny in bonuses or any stock options. They should actually be the 1st to go since thier decisions cost the jobs of the everyday coworker.
The absurd code names that this place uses, and the NDAs. And we talk about transparency? My last place, we knew layoffs were a reality if the company didn’t perform or something in the market forced them. If they were coming, we all knew. Because of that culture we all performed! And if there was an event, we got through it and the company was stronger for it. That was a tough company but I felt much more secure and trusted the leaders.
We overheard about the layoffs from all the way into our center what out new boss was saying about the layoffs. Ot sounded like he was talking to his boss who also worked with him at his last work place. The layoffs are happening.
They are also going to get a list of who will be let go to see if any are trouble makers. It sounded like they didn’t get the list yet. He did ask the person he was talking to on the phone if they made a mistake coming to CDW and he said he is guaranteed a year pay package and two bonuses. if he gets laid off and how he would “happily” take that, We overheard him admit that “the executives here are more fu---d up than the new ones where we came from”. We were like, welcome to cdw boss.
It’s tragic how people at all levels and even the newer coworkers and bosses know how bad things are here. Why do VPs get two bonuses? Why can’t they give up bonuses to save our jobs?
@ad They really should ask for volunteers and maybe make it worthwhile to volunteer. I'd probably do it.
Ha. Can I get a package please? Is there a way to volunteer for the layoff? What a mess.
Chris is over 50, overpaid and has been underperforming for 4 years. Is she on the list?
@OP
Thanks for warning people.
While leadership brings in more interns and fresh newbies out of college that have no knowledge of CDW....they'll need to continue to cut anyone that is a large expense (regardless if they are net positive or negative $ wise). Part of changing compensation was to drive people out and leaving behind the people who are scared to open their mouth for fear of retaliation.
Liz and her VP's and Directors are ruining sales teams. Thanks Chris for assembling a team of friends instead of competent leaders.
Customer are noticing all this too. They can see issues with invoicing, AR/AP, customer relation, daily turnaround on simple requests, as well as stock issues and incorrect data feeds.
Tells me which way stock will move once the warm and fuzzy feeling wears off from the $1 billion share buyback.
@OP isn’t that the entire executive committee!!!