There are three groups of people at Cisco.
1.) Upper management, with what looks like no vision except to repeat the mantra that cutting costs means hiring twenty H1B workers per manager. (Ref: see the org chart published by B. Reese a few years back). And remember that in 2016, JC said that all growth will be overseas, I think what actually was happening (at that time, and probably continues) is all growth (if my interpretation is correct it would not be technically financial growth, but growth in terms of replacing American workers with a growing number of H1B workers) was being imported from overseas, and that is why he said that. No growth that we are aware of, ever came from overseas. And if H1B workers are getting contracts from "preferred" recruiting companies that charge twice the actual hourly billing rate, how is Cisco saving money? Someone told me they get a tax break, but quarter after quarter, it clearly does not look that way. I think there is a 'growth' in the exploitation of immigrants. And a lack of 'growth' in the vision of upper management.
2.) If this theory is correct, there are thousands of H1B visa and other workers, being exploited by recruiters and being on-boarded every year who are now biding their time at Cisco and (well, pretty much) hangin' out and taking interviews elsewhere. I.e. : seeking a larger offer at Juniper or some other company before coming back to Cisco and then going back home or back to Juniper or some other company. I have seen the same thing play out on an ongoing basis at Cisco. Why?, does our CEO not see what is going on, or does management not want the investors to know? Does management believe that investors are blind?
3.) Everybody else who is either getting LR'd, or already LR'd, and essentially waiting (or have some little hope) for the one year package. Or in a few cases, leaving themselves before getting LR'd.
Bottom line. Groups 1.) and 2.) are completely unable to turn the ship around, but group 3.) is the one to take the blame and get thrown overboard. Well, they don't really blame anybody. In fact, I don't think managers or anybody at Cisco ever takes responsibility for failed projects and all the lost revenue. Often times they just move the manager somewhere else.
So, is it any surprise that Cisco stock always gets hit? No. Not if they think saving money is getting rid of employees who own stock and replacing them with H1B visa workers who own no stock. In my view, only when Cisco hires employees who care to take ownership of the company, will they be able to turn the ship around. Nobody cares. I don't even think Chuck cares. I have seen so many managers screw up and then just get their a$$es covered by their directors, or VP's, and managers above them. It's probably systemic from the top down. Some CTO's and such are now working at Electric car companies and the likes. It reminds me of Alfred E Neumann.. "what me worry?". I really feel there is little or no responsibility in upper management anymore.
Anyway, we (some of us) already got the package and are only able to speak to the rest of the employees from the Cisco afterlife. So, I'm sorry, but I'm already buying stock in another company. I wish that upper management had asked us then. Some of us would have told them. Actually, some of us did. Good luck my fellow Cisco'ites, but my guess is that if they did not listen then, why would they start now?