Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

RTP or RCDN will get the news in few days… will share more updates as I hear convos across our teams…

I’m in IT Support (US based) and on PTO tomorrow and Friday, when should I expect the phone call? Early morning? I desperately am hoping our team is untouched by this LR, but 7k+ is a big number… 😳🥹

👉🎯 SBG… don’t think you’re safe & cuts won’t impact your org, depts, groups or teams just because you have “Security” in your org name.

The 7k+ reduction has to be aggregated across Cisco, and you have many, many dysfunctional operations, manual processes, and scarce implementation of AI/automated processes across your portfolio.

Suggestion: “shine up” your tu-d org quickly & learn to impersonate the high revenue “appearance” ELT is fixated on for FY25Q1 - Q3.

Or you’ll get cut repeatedly by ELT, continuing to appear ineffective (CapEx vs OpEx costs).

Hello ELT 👋, are you listening 👂, SBG org requires serious fiscal intervention. First step replace Shaila S, Tom G & Richard C. There’s a new sheriff in town, J2, and sub-par efficacy is not cool ‼️

If we can rest our head safely by EOD this Friday, would it be considered we’re not on this LR round? If so, where, if any, is the least risky orgs, depts or teams least likely to get culled/axed 🪓 in next LR cuts announced next year in earnings call (Feb, Aug)? I’m a manager in cloud (CX) and I really worried about my job with all the negative chatter on this site and others (Fishbowl). Absolutely sick to my stomach with all this layoff news 🥴🤢🤮

This LR is 50% bigger than in Feb 2023! Feb 14 = 4k+ and now Aug 14 = 6k+ blue badges… 📉👎

OP (SJC57) Seriously… how do you have so much free time while supposedly at “work” in RTP? Agreed, your role should be cut asap! 😝😜😆😂🤣

7% workforce LR’d. Deal with it, this is real & happening.

Do what you need to do asap = update LI profile, master your interviewing persona, spiffy up your home office background for video interviews, network with any current/former colleagues on trying to identify & get inside lead on open roles, and most of all super focus on your financial plan covering minimum 3-6 months so you can pay bare minimum required bills as you slog through repeated job interviews & getting ghosted by recruiters & companies HR departments.

You are a survivor, take a deep breathe, spend time with your partner, kids, families & friends today through this weekend. Go for 30 min walk outdoors, attend a positive session at church, or even just get blazed or drunk. Refresh & clear you mind & be the career ninja 🥷 I know that you are.

You got this 👍. Cisco is just another tech company, it’s not your soulmate or religion. Cisco is the one losing out on you, not the other way around.

When you land at another company, if it’s tech, especially if it’s a Cisco competitor, leverage all your Cisco SME experience & insider knowledge to your benefit beating them at every gap, weakness & vulnerability they have or hide.

I vote for the LR’d former Cisco employees, that’s were my allegiance is at. And say that as an employee (SM) likely to be cut in cloud (CX). 📉🙋‍♀️🤷‍♀️

AppD is dead 😵 and moving jobs to low cost places leads to RTP TAC being slimmed security will also lose jobs to Splunk in sales

Is the entire CX org moving to India and/or Mexico. If we’re in a US or EU based role are we getting replaced & role will be offshored? Net loss will be 6k companywide.

Why would they keep 4k working in AppD... Oh no… under the spotlight for sure 🕵️‍♂️🔎

Estimated 7% LR impact = 5943 employees

High growth areas seem to be empowered
Meraki grows YoY and is the focus of cloud
Goodbye EN AMs

OP (P. Singer) Oops you’re wrong 😝. It’s a 7% LR. Dude your post has a very “real jerk” vibe. Cool it down & take a deep breath. 😎

What will 7% LR mean for teams across Corp IT. What exactly denotes an org, dept, group or team is either generating revenue growth or directly supporting delivering service offerings for AI, Cybersecurity & Networking? I’m confused how it maps out…

PI (@yys+1u0OD326) There are amazing, dedicated, brilliant & extremely hardworking employees all across Cisco, orgs, depts, BUs, etc. Hats off to you & thank you all you to make Cisco culture great 👏👍

This layoff is the final straw for me personally. My org in SBG has been on the “do-more-with-less” train for the past two quarters or so and it seems to be gathering more steam. I’ve done a cr-p ton of work delivering, but the company and leadership just doesn’t have our backs. This company deserves the lack of leadership it has earned. Treat your people like rows in a spreadsheet and people will leave.

OP (Devil) - Zip it, you are such an uptight twit. Please…

Goodbye AppD 👋… sorry too 🥹
…👉 hey Splunk thanks a lot for nothing 👎

Goodbye Meraki… …sorry 👋

OP (RTP45) Please shut up, you’re spewing nothing but d-mb sentimental emotional nonsense. It’s going down in less than 50 mins!

Getting excited anticipating call at 4:30pm EDT! I left Cisco years ago, glad I did since it keeps slipping & slipping & slipping…

Cisco employees are entitled, crybaby & legacy group of boomers 😜🤣

OP (P.Singer) - let’s go! Deep cuts & more key company acquisitions! Laid employees can find another job, if not then we’re deserved to be let go years ago. I want to see my CSCO stock rise up again after being in a coma.

4k is too light. Should be closer to 12-15k to cut the clowns, make CSCO nimble and get the stock price closer to 55-60. Pretty much 80% of the people in this board should exit.

Based on past recent LRs, what the algorithm here?

What 2-3 key metrics have employees observed that ELT focus on when selecting anonymous employee IDs to cut? Is it grade level (10-13), age/insurance cost (40-59 yrs old), duplicative roles/group (Splunk vs AppD), budget reallocation (CX cut funding in favor of everything & anything AI related), what is it?

I hope it’s not arbitrary and not thought through well. This impacts people lives, seriously.

They have families & kids dependent on them, mortgages & rent payments, urgent deliverables deadlines they’re working 60hrs+ week to meet, and most of their morale & mental health.

I guess to ELT they are simply an anonymous cost center, a CapEx expenditure that is easily disposable, replaceable & unseen. I disagree, ELT needs to be replaced starting with both Chuck & Fran. Besides acquiring other companies great products/revenue growth, why does Chuck have no vision or strategic plan to repivot Cisco to actual revenue growth based on innovation within the organization.

Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Satya Nadella did you exactly that at Microsoft, and there many other examples of CEOs who have. Dump/replace Chuck, he’s never been the right CEO for Cisco, he only been a caretaker of existingrevenue growth other CEOs before him innovated & created. Otherwise these LRs will continue into 2025 (Feb, Aug). Absolutely ashamed & disgusted current ELT, worthless. 👎☹️😞

I hope this LR headcount cut isn’t targeted at senior employees based on their tenure and age group (over 40-50 yrs old). 😕🥹

After this LR do you think there will be another LR cut planned/announced for Feb 2025 earnings call next year? When will these cuts start slowing down? It’s extremely demoralizing & undermining employees morale & focus on delivering great work for both Cisco internally and externally providing high quality services to our customers. Just sayin…

Fear only begets more fear 😨. LR announcement will not be as terrible as people are imagining. “Be Calm and Carry On”…

Horrible posts to this thread, very negative focused. Come on folks the world is not ending, sober up please 😐🤷

Technically, it's PDT (not PST). Just sayin'

I vote I get it. No joke, make it easy for me please. I can see the writing on the wall. I joined 2 years ago and I saw the downward trajectory about 6 months in.

Prayers? SMH.

I vote ELT

Manager/Sr Manager grade levels would know who are impacted if the LR is this week. Everyone is way over worrying themselves into unreasonable frenzy. Things will better than your fears and high emotions.

Oort, Isovalent, DeepFactor, WG2, Code BGP, SamKnows, Accedian, Armorblox, Smartlook, Lightspin, Valtix, etc… are their onboarded employees included in this next LR. Why not?

Cisco list of company acquisitions:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/corporate-strategy-office/acquisitions/acquisitions-list-years.html

Sad, upset and frustrated all at once 🤯

Are Splunk employees excluded from LR numbers announced on Thursday. If so, why? Why are they receiving protected job status? 👎

S&TO, GCC will have additional headcount cuts again this LR. Red badges & contracted services will still remain, what an insult! ELT should first and always cut red badges and contractors, before laying off an FTE. Red badges are disposable, replaceable & don’t matter period. They are always temporary. I pray contractors take the largest brunt of any LR count that gets announced or slowly distributed out starting Thursday.

I vote it’ll be Meraki, AppD, CX, Corp IT getting most of the LR cuts 🔪

SBG Security will get more cuts 🪓 🔪

Feeling sad, depressed and hopeless will LR announcements and layoff meetings almost here 😔😪. Please ELT can we have an earnings that isn’t always relying on laying off several thousand employees & hurting their families and kids that depend on them 🙏

Good 🤭😆… Who cares? I’ve accepted role/offer at competitor and will be glad when Cisco is forgotten history. Cisco is an old has been clunker of a big tech conglomerate. Can never be in the league of the top 5 leading tech leaders (FAANG, FAAMG, MAMAA). I’ll enjoy watching Cisco slowly continuing sinking 😢