Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

44 and feeling old indeed. unless you are in management which makes you 'average age manager' - as a developer you are old.

but, that thinking is for fools. you are so skilled and experienced at 44 that you should be minting money on your own - find a side gig and make money, forget the slave owners

WoW, As you age to 30 and witness/be a part of it, you immediately see what a WASTE of time it was to work so hard on empty promised (by mgmt) dreams that never materialized. AGREE!!!!

Bottom line is to look after yourself from Day 1 hire, keep your skills relevant and MOVE every 2-3 years to the next gig. Hopefully you can make it into FANG where your pay will at least DOUBLE. Totally AGREE!!!

A very good thread. At some point we all age. I was born in 1979 and at some point I felt young and invincible. Time flies, and I am considered 'old' now.

To All Cisco Millennials and Gen-Zs
When you're young and bright eyed. You work really hard, ambitious to climb and are naive of layoffs (unless you're plugged into the great new information you get nowadays)...
As you age to 30 and witness/be a part of it, you immediately see what a WASTE of time it was to work so hard on empty promised (by mgmt) dreams that never materialized.
Bottom line is to look after yourself from Day 1 hire, keep your skills relevant and MOVE every 2-3 years to the next gig. Hopefully you can make it into FANG where your pay will at least DOUBLE.
I remember the days when Cisco had once a year layoffs instead of the quarterly scare of thousands lost. There is no reason to subject yourself to this when the market is so strong! Gravitate your skills to software industry and move away from "dead man walking" hardware (unless you love it and it's Apple, Qualcomm, etc).
God Bless to all who lost jobs today. This will highly likely be a "lemons to lemonade" event where your future, in all aspects, will be a big improvement!

#GOLD

@wko+13HEkPXS You will age as well (hopefully, better than the alternative.) Age discrimination will affect everyone so doesn't matter if you are young and feel safe now. They'll come for you too some day.

in 10 years Google average will be 40, FB 39, etc

Average of Cisco employees is 39.
At Facebook it is 28
Google is 30
Amazon is 31
IBM is 39
HP is 39

Conclusion: younger employees are good for the bottom line of the company.

The difference for folks today versus those hired in late 1990s / early 2000s that were LR'd is not having the same historical stock rise.

In early 2000s you could get under $20 per share many cycles, and company was very generous with pre-RSU options. Folks in Cisco since say 2010 or so aren't going to see that same run (regretfully) because the stock didn't do the same run (ask yourself if it's going to in future).

Many folks LR's that were starters in early 2000s have easily north of $500K in ESPP alone. Easy to be in that situation if you maxed your ESPP. I never made much over $100K, but after LR at 18 year mark, walked away with approx $1.5M between ESPP, RSU, and pre-RSU options. To folks that are in now for ten years, guessing your take wouldn't be in same ballpark. Sad to say, old Cisco payoff is probably not the same for this next generation as it was for the "old timers".

no foul intended by the op, ok boomer sounds cute though...

if you have drive, see the best opportunities for your self. easier said than done, but go for it

@ctj+13HEkPXS. Naive to say this. FANG is day & night better in the layoff aspect. Plus you can retire a decade or two earlier based on their extreme pay and career progression. I don't think there's one person here who wouldn't want a seat at Google.

Thats true of any company. Cisco or FANG - bright eyed people are breaking out code like nobodys business and then later fall to the ground like in the ending of planet of the apes

@vgy OK boomer, yeah it's funny but I do not think the OP had any intention of criticizing M and GENZ - i think she'he merely states obvious - if you believe the promises you'll get screwed. but you know this already, right

hahaha. i am so following this thread...

thank you @OP+13HEkPXS

ok boomer

Amen