Cisco has an age and salary cost reduction plan John Chambers has implemented 10 years ago. They did execute two phases of it and now is the 3rd phase !
Basically after he announced dividend and share buyback Cisco came short on REAL CASH FLOW (not CSCO ownership !). Since short on cash and they have to pay R&D and Dividend and Buyback Shares they need HARD CASH !
Investors suggested line of credit and Deep Job Cuts with salaries and grades that cost $100K and above. They also suggested to hire and replace older experience workers with young college grads and cheaper to run them for few years and then lay them off and recycle with new grads every 5 years ! So the have a Buffer First Come First Out !
Note that Cisco claimed $48 Billion Cash is not Real money at the bank and Cisco stock that Cisco itself owns ! Therefore the company is trapped with $48B Stock that cannot sell and hence lays off and controls cost this way. Used to be a good company until this Dividend and Buyback game just like IBM hit Cisco too.
Good luck all.