Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Cisco should stick to upper level management who are from engineering background. Some of them are incompetent and lack the depth of technical knowledge required to function and take decisions.

I've been in the tech industry for over 20 years and these layoffs and restructures happened once to twice a year. Just when things where getting back together and people had some idea of what they were doing, another one would happen and create chaos. It's mostly political moves as executives vie for power. The executives move up and out and the rest of the company suffers.

A sector without much competition can get away with low performance and low trust. Comcast, Cisco, AT&T, Boeing.

Some of you may remember when Simon Sinek came in to speak on leadership traits. In fairness to the much-maligned HR, it was a good session from a great speaker. He looked slightly uneasy though and I suspect this video from him on Performance vs Trust was his experience of bing in toxic culture companies like Cisco...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPDmNaEG8v4

Cisco is like a fat old dinosaur, it will have a slow painful dead. Clueless execs and dumb middle management who knows nothing about technology. 99% of smart people left the company because how bad they’re treated. Get out asap or get buried with it.

@128xlvKm-1one -. David Ward has absolutely no engineering skills or background. He is just a capable bullsh—er. His academic background is in Forestry not Engineering. He is completely unqualified to work in an engineering organization.

I left Cisco under my own volition nearly 5 years ago. I can't believe how bad things have gotten. Cisco definitely damaged my mental health and faith in humanity with persistent acquisitions and LR's et cetera.

Also, if you have got grey hair and you are over 40 years of age, you are not wanted. Yet the people calling the shots, are making awful decisions.

I have never been happier since I have left Cisco and realised that the toxic culture and mind blowing hypocrisy is only floating around this company. The grass is greener on the other side. Don't worry if you are laid off. It's a pretty low bar to greater happiness.

Well-said @128xlvKm-fqr - I'm a forced departee from the end of the 2018 but now in a new senior engineering leadership role and couldn't be happier. Hard work yes, stress sometimes but a great management and supportive company culture makes it easy. It also highlights to me on daily basis that I that I shouldn't have put up with a dire final year in SPBU. As many have said, plan your exit as you'll feel more positive if-and-when the LR hits..and that makes the transition away from the Cisco toxicity so much easier

The thing that surprised me about the email was Dave W stepping down from the Eng CTO role - I wonder what that means for CTAO? He and the team seem rather too focussed on projects of questionable value at time of declining stock price

followed by next-gen cloud strategy in 2 years

"Cisco is also renaming its existing cloud computing business to Cloud Strategy and Compute "

Yeah. That will fix everything.

Can you go decades with restructuring nonsense before someone figures out you have no idea what your doing? Well managed companies don't restructure every quarter

There are three methods to survive layoffs at Cisco:

1. Relationships - become personal friends with a VP
2. Sociopath - become good at destroying others... you can't have empathy or ethics
3. Underrepresented minority

Merry Christmas! Pink slips for all

“We initiated a restructuring plan during fiscal 2018 in order to realign our organization and enable further investment in key priority areas, with estimated pretax charges of $600 million. In connection with this restructuring plan, we incurred charges of $322 million during fiscal 2019, and have incurred cumulative charges of $430 million. We expect this restructuring plan to be substantially completed in the first half of fiscal 2020.“

"Restructuring"...basically, anyone under those managers has to worry about a layoff in the near term. And I think there will be wider cuts, as there always are at mid-fiscal year.

Chucky Sees companies like Cloudgenix and PAN as competitors - look at the moves to take 'successful' core networking people and moving them into specialist roles. Company tells these experienced folks they are going over to run special areas - they are being moved to specific lines of business and replaced with younger cheaper people. Then, when a business like like SDWAN or Security tank (and they are already) these expensive people can be cut 'for not making the number'

I left this place and cannot be happier. Only professional regret in life is why even join a company like this EVER, literally. F—ed up salaries, slacking, outdated tech stacks, bad brand value.

Deck chairs on the Titanic......

I’m glad I’m in sales making bank! Not enough layoffs at n services. Heap of fat there. Too much fat in prod as well.

Cisco Life (aka The People Deal) = Work hard for 8 months, look over your shoulder in fear the other 4. It's why 1/2 the employees have PTSD. The other 1/2 are too young to know that they are being abused.

Chuck's been trying to destroy tech innovators such as Brocade and Avaya for years.

"Strongly position the company against our competitors". I would simply LOVE to hear who Chuck thinks Cisco's competitors are currently.

I got laid off back in 2016. My question is how come current Cisco employees don't hold a walk out to protest the layoffs? Google did a walk out and it changed things for the company.

I am tired of this God forsaken company doing LRs

May the odds be ever in your favor...