Weeks after thousands of employees were "impacted", 20,000+ Cisco Hunger Games survivors converge on Las Vegas for "Impact" - this year's iteration of GSX, or Sales Conference, or whatever. They will probably spend 25 million or more on drinking, partying, and Chuckie's rah-rah speeches. It's ridiculous.
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I have to say, the GSX was one of the reason I quit Cisco. I went to 11 of them, and when they were in San Fran, they were ok, but went down hill over the years. Good for sales people, but toxic for the technical.
"The event was this year and always has been an excellent networking experience. Knock it all you want because you weren't invited to the party but it doesn't take away from the valuable networking benefits it offers."
I have been to dozens of these in my years at Cisco. Your definition of 'networking' must differ from many others. If by networking you mean 'spend loads of company money at various establishments', 'engage in questionable behavior with co-workers (socially, s-xually, otherwise), 'collect Cisco branded swag', 'hear from non-contextual speakers (if you attend the sessions)', 'rage with my "tribe" about products, services, or other orgs', and generally waste a week of time, then maybe we're talking about the same Sales Conference, GSX, Impact, whatever. It does nothing to drive organization or personal growth or development. It's a boondoggle.
Is the journey back from Impact a good time to resign? Such a couincidence...
“There’s never been a better time..”
Sales are the most hardworking pple in Cisco. We have to sell c-appy h/w and buggy s/w. Why would Cisco reward engineering for their mess?
Today’s career success is all about who you know. What group of folks gets the opportunity to network in their day to day job more than any other? Sales! If anyone needs yet another network opportunity it NOT sales. My career advice to young people going into tech is either go into sales or shop for true equity in the company early in career if you do engineering.
The event was this year and always has been an excellent networking experience. Knock it all you want because you weren't invited to the party but it doesn't take away from the valuable networking benefits it offers.
I would say as one of those sales folks that I would heartily agree its a waste having it every year..!
Either :-
a) Invite Engineering staff to their own off-site and alternate years physical / virtual for both..
b) Can the thing and use the saved $100M to keep from LRing another few hundred engineering staff each year!
But the hunger games seems to always continue.....sigh...
Seems you could readily be identified by HR by divulging such detailed information. I am no fan of Cisco in it's current incarnation either, but I think you are not quite leveling with us.
I don't know ANYONE that still works at Cisco that is excited about it.
And I do know many key contributors ranging from executives to distinguished engineers.
The supremely toxic culture with instituted best practice layoff rounds has k–led many things, including a genuine sense of shared purpose and motivation for anyone to give their more than trying for 8 hours best.
Impact was a showcase for the stillborn innovation curve, for pathetically recycled 3 year old platitudes.
I hold over a dozen patents and have been with Cisco for over 15 years. I just got a promotion. I am in 2 final interview rounds externally.
Good luck people.
Is the journey back from Impact a good time to resign? Such a couincidence...
Impact was as uninspiring as Chuck himself.
They recycled the speeches from the previous three meetings.
In related LR news:
Grecian Formula futures up 300%
The LR Formula:
a= Size of MGM Grand Area
b= Spill Over rooms
c= Cisco Sales & Services Population in May of any given year
LR = c - (a+b)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
it's better than selling Hyundai's in San Mateo
Even the sessions are very disappointing. There is nothing new...
Nothing but Recycled tag-lines:
- “There’s never been a better time...”
- “Be the bridge”
Very disappointing.
engineers at Cisco are classified as cheap maintenance workers... not essential to the business
Why isn’t there a kick off party for the engineers? Without us Cisco wouldn’t even be a company and nobody in sales would even have a job
Hey, look at the bright side. The CX team got to watch 3 guys make music on blenders, then take selfies with each other. All fluff, no substance. I get that companies need to have Sales conferences, but the over the top event and lack of any real direction being given to us is insane. Buzzword bingo and butt kissing.
should read in last post, "not super-excited"
Speaking of "rah-rah", it's obvious if you are "super-excited" and posting photos of every meaningless meeting you have with smiles and thumbs-up, you are not going to be part of Cisco very long. Seriously, I think this is the primary determinant of longevity in today's environment. Yippee-Skippee, Cisco!
It’s way more than 25 million. Like 100 million minimum past years.
It's embarrassing how much is spent on the GSX "party". Most Cisco employees (non-sales) have no idea.....it's a massive party of drinking, smoking cigars, strip joints, high end dinners, etc.....anything and everything that Vegas can deliver. And the sales folks are really good at disguising their expenses ;) Of course there is the occasional "required" rah rah meetings where everyone shouts how great Cisco is.
Yes, The event should be called “Unimpacted”