Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

This place used to mean something

Now it’s all rules, no thinking. Too many meetings, too many forms, zero guts. They ki-led what worked to worship spreadsheets. We used to create things - now we just push paper. What a waste.

by
| 2392 views | | 13 replies (last April 9, 2025) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jr791ghj

13 replies (most recent on top)

“Violin playing”
You are part of the problem.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @p9+1jr791ghj
It meant something when John C was the CEO.

A stock price floundering on average around $25 for 14 years after falling from $82 to $8, forays into businesses in which Cisco failed miserably, creating three more routing/switching operating systems to fail to do essentially the same job creating far more technical debt, the inability to do development requiring constant acquisition, quarterly layoffs, rank&yank, dry promotions, threatening to fire anyone who made their whole team better, demonstrated accountability by giving himself a bonus for completely failing to meet his targets at the cost of us taking more forced vacation, and he clearly had no idea what was going on in the better part of a dozen layers below him.

...it is just a sad and depressing place to work.

Clearly you weren't around during the 2008 downfall when people who couldn't get laid off quit rather than stay at Cisco.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @nr+1jr791ghj

It meant something when John C was the CEO. But now with two clowns: CR and FK on the top it is just a sad and depressing place to work.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @js+1jr791ghj
‘what happen to Northern Telecom (Nortel Networks)’.

Nortel was circuit based, Cisco is packet based. Packets aren't going out of style in the foreseeable future. The only potential challenger to IPv4 was IPv6 and after nearly 30 years IPv6 is still all kinds of broken.

While Cisco is still in relevant markets they've been acquiring for more than three decades rather than developing so now they have a choice of integrating acquisitions which are too large and too complex for Cisco's skills or to learn how to develop while eliminating the technical debt which are also too large and too complex for Cisco's skills. Without a massive drop in earnings, revenue and stock price I don't think leadership will wake up to their own incompetence and if that does happen the time to correct course will likely have passed.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @jd+1jr791ghj

There is still opportunity - but you have to push to make it happen. I am literally floored at how many times I see a customer with an issue that I know we have addressed for another customer and yet people never think to reach out to peers.

The issue is that there isn't anyone in any leadership role that is thinking -"How can I better connect our resources to truly collaborate". It more typical that leaders say "Here is how we did it at X-X and that's how you should do it" (this is same for sales as well as delivery.

But if you really have an issue, idea, or desire to collaborate - then its up to you to find peers to do that with. Sadly, the forum isn't provided and we have lost a ton of expertise.

The good news is that if you are truly motivated you can make a difference for yourself, for others, and for your customer.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @j9+1jr791ghj

Management, how many federal contracts are now exposed to resent federal funding cuts?

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @hq+1jr791ghj

What’s happening? Answer: google ‘what happen to Northern Telecom (Nortel Networks)’. Others have said the same thing, they are on the spot!

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @hn+1jr791ghj

Sorry no one like your idea. But honestly, it was pretty bad.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @gy+1jr791ghj

It used to mean riches before the stock hit $82, never to return. The quality of development was still extremely poor which is why Cisco had to do so many acquisitions for the majority of a decade before that downfall.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @dj+1jr791ghj

I'm assuming you are a CSS within CX. Yes... we are literally paperpusher admin workers now. TP is wreaking havoc almost as bad as MM did. Engineers need to do engineering work to be happy - if they lose that, they will quit. CX CSS's are widely looking at other opportunities.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @ca+1jr791ghj

@c1

Meetings where no one will speak because the problem might stick to them.

They will always find some poor soul to stick that nail, while they bask on glory of promotion after promotion with boat load of RSUs for not contributing anything (parasites).

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @c4+1jr791ghj

The nail that stands out will be hammered down.
Premeeting to get PowerPoint hints right in ten.
Meetings where no one will speak because the problem might stick to them.
And they might actually be expected to work and produce results

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @c1+1jr791ghj

many dinosaur companies, not just in tech, have survived on cheap credit and bubble markets

now the game has changed

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @bp+1jr791ghj

Post a reply

: