Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Only as good as your options

Yesterday, again, I had a very ugly situation with an older colleague who for some reason thinks he is more skilled than any new employee, just because he is a long term employee. I think he is only as good as his options. Why so much animosity towards new employees?

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Post ID: @OP+1d4rJpR3

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In Europe the older engineers are taking lunch from the younger, not able to focus western coddled engineers. If you hire young engineers from Eastern Europe or the Middle East they seem to be much better. Not sure what has happened entirely but finding new young talent is a challenge.

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Post ID: @epoa+1d4rJpR3

Ageism is a real thing.

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Post ID: @aogl+1d4rJpR3
Yeah, some of those people you’re crapping on built and designed billion dollar technologies.

The people I cr-p on I worked with directly and they made mistakes costing the company millions to hundreds of millions for each instance. At companies that can’t afford these losses not only would the cause be fired but a good part of their management chain would be fired as well. Cisco promoted many of those that caused those losses as it bolsters the false narrative that everyone did the best that could be done.

Related:

The people that built the companies that Cisco bought retired years ago. It's only politicians and bureaucrats that remain.

FTFY.

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Post ID: @9hia+1d4rJpR3

The reason the older employee knows he is more valuable than a new employee is due to the accumulated wisdom and experience that only comes with time. That said, most tech companies including Cisco place little value on wisdom or experience. High profit margins allow for the same problems to be solved over & over again. Wisdom & experience are in demand at companies that must run efficiently.

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Post ID: @6kjw+1d4rJpR3

Hi Guys, um Cisco was waaay more business units than TAC.... TAC is only as good as the product that is put out by the engineering business unit. If the fault is with the product then that is not TAC. Pretty simple

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Post ID: @5mnm+1d4rJpR3

TAC today is completely worthless. Less than worthless.

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Post ID: @4fso+1d4rJpR3

Most of today's youngsters would not last a week working the TAC environment in the 2000s.

People worked as a team but were incredibly unfiltered. Many escalations resolved after very candid conversations.

If you didn't handle something correctly because of lack of common sense or lack of intensity to resolve; get ready for some candid not pleasant feedback. But true teamwork and technical excellence was built.

You were definitely part of a team.

Those days are long over. Sad.

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Post ID: @3qxi+1d4rJpR3

"I'm sure it's a small percentage, but there's still some good people around from when Cisco was a great company."

Why would good middle management stick around after 20+ layoffs? What's the motivation? Anyone with skills would depart for more money and stability.

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Post ID: @3iox+1d4rJpR3

Yeah, some of those people you’re crapping on built and designed billion dollar technologies. You young sh1ts walked into a company that just happens to earn 10’s of billions per quarter before your prodigious attitude was born.

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Post ID: @3oqc+1d4rJpR3
The people that built the company retired years ago. It's only politicians and bureaucrats that remain.

Most of my middle management team are 20-25 yrs w/ the company. I work with, and know probably 20+ people who've been w/ Cisco for more than 20 yrs, people in the US with employee #'s less than 75,000. I'm sure it's a small percentage, but there's still some good people around from when Cisco was a great company. Unfortunately, they're not in leadership positions where they can make real changes or prevent the changes that are tearing this company apart.

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Post ID: @3zac+1d4rJpR3

The people that built the company retired years ago. It's only politicians and bureaucrats that remain.

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Post ID: @1rzs+1d4rJpR3
Older employees think they own the company.

Maybe because they built the company? If you have 15, 20 or even 25 yrs w/ the company out of it's 30-ish years of existence, you probably contributed to the products that got the company to such a large company with a huge positive cash balance.

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Post ID: @1hxp+1d4rJpR3

Older employees think they own the company. Hope they all get LR'ed to oblivion.

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Post ID: @1sax+1d4rJpR3

Here's a towel, to wipe behind your ears ...

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Post ID: @1fxs+1d4rJpR3

"Yesterday, again, I had a very ugly situation" --> go no further. You are quite likely the root cause of the problem. Very ugly situations are extremely rare. You seem to be a magnet for them. I have been managing teams for over a decade and have never had to deal with a "very ugly situation". Minor conflicts and disagreements happen, they're more often than not easily resolved with a constructive discussion. I have no background on your particular series of incidents but statistically, that just shouldn't happen. Imagine you are right: the person you clashed with is clueless yet he/she firmly believes he/she holds the truth. There's no reason for that to turn into a "very ugly situation". Walk away, do your job. Or constructively ask the other party to explain his/her approach, and discuss why you believe there's a better option.

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Post ID: @1xtl+1d4rJpR3

Respect our elders.

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Post ID: @1ieq+1d4rJpR3

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