Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

First, I'm constantly getting Apple wanting me to interview. Second, Apple is notorious for huge work pressure and burning out most hires in a couple of years just leaving the crazy folks who don't mind constant pressure and overtime.

You think this is better than Cisco?

With all the comments about how other companies don't like seeing Cisco on our resumes, it seemed like a valid question to ask if Apple would even consider Cisco employees. Also, based on what Apple said this site's purpose is, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and the types of developers/engineers at Cisco in RTP don't match that, it seems reasonable that Cisco is not a target demographic to poach employees from.

I don't really follow Apple's work culture because I've never considered living in an area where Apple hires, so I have/had no idea if they're better or worse than Cisco. But at my age, if they pay more than Cisco, I can do a few yrs of work pressure before they burn me out and/or can me and retire. Which means they probably wouldn't hire me to begin with. It's hard to pressure someone near retirement age to work really, really hard with a threat of termination.

"Meta setting up HQ in Austin. There goes anyone still left there working for Cisco"

You're complaining about Cisco but would work for Zuckerberg?????

"And Apple building a campus in RTP right behind Cisco's campus. The question is whether or not Apple will hire Cisco employees."

First, I'm constantly getting Apple wanting me to interview. Second, Apple is notorious for huge work pressure and burning out most hires in a couple of years just leaving the crazy folks who don't mind constant pressure and overtime.

You think this is better than Cisco?

Freedom means the ability to choose, even if that choice is bad for you.....

Vaccine was mandated based on stopping the virus, which it didn't.

thier personal religious beliefs to complete strangers.

That's bu-----t. These "religious" people have no problems with countless other vaccines, also tested and made in exactly the same way. This is just pure childish tribalism lunacy.

raises...

What are those?

My guess is serverence packages aren't likely in the future (or if they do get paid out they will likely be drastically reduced). They have been reducing them each layoff, and unless the ELT get slme sense about them, the trend is likely to continue that way in my viewpoint.

The problem is - the hope for an LR package and the comfort of the idea of one is the only reason many people are still sticking around. Each time they reduce the package, they also reduce the number of people willing to work for Cisco. With every 6 month LRs and no safety net if you are impacted, it just isnt a safe bet for many people to continue working for Cisco.

@1nhg+1eI23ibs yes I’d also like to know where it is that I can get "Crushed with positivity". I seriously need a dose of that. Please let us where it is and if they hiring. 🙏

I am glad to see some fellow Cisco U.K. people posting about the toxic environment of politics in this geo . Glad that I am not the only one who feels this way. I was conflicted before but since there are more people sharing the exact same opinion, it appears that it is not me but the existing general management style. I am also looking outside.

Replying to: "Crushed with positivity"

Do you mind sharing where "there" is? I wouldn't mind being crushed with some positivity these days.

Are they hiring?

Left very recently. I can't sleep in the night now, there is too little work (read actual wlb) and more pay. No night calls. I talk to myself after 10 plus years of having constant night calls. No morning 830 or 9 am calls everyday. I actually get time to work. What kind of place am I in. Where is the constant politics, infighting, lack of direction and being underpaid .

Damn i want to come back to Cisco to experience the whole victim mentality. I'm being crushed with positivity here.

"The crazy vaccine mandate stuff didn't help. I have friends that chose not to get it and who went through horrible tramatic experiences of thinking they would be out the door with no pay and no unemployment. Who had to figure out and express thier personal religious beliefs to complete strangers. And some who had to recount medical issues and relive past trama and wonder if approvals would go through."

The lawsuits are just getting geared up for that, and they will be going after the individuals mandating it instead of the company since it's fair game. Chuck and Fran might be bankrupt by the end of it as they are not protected by the insurance of the company as they will be sued individually.

A lot of people I know are sticking around but not doing much work. Free money while the ship sinks. Not the best life (Its annoying to waste countless hours of one's life and it doesn't benefit the world or one's future career prospects), but seems like some people have outside priorities and are just letting Cisco fund those priorities.

No point to doing much of anything - projects get 1/3 completed then the leadership changes and we get new marching orders. More issues caused by the attrition I suppose.

So nearly every project is a failure before it starts and most folks on our teams that are smart have figured it out. They just kinda pretend and make up numbers and powerpoints.

I'd say 1/2 - 5/8ths of people in our group are this way. Minimal effort to keep the job but its mostly fake work. Moral is in the toilet and when nearly the whole team feels that way no one cares (including our boss) if no one does anything.

The crazy vaccine mandate stuff didn't help. I have friends that chose not to get it and who went through horrible tramatic experiences of thinking they would be out the door with no pay and no unemployment. Who had to figure out and express thier personal religious beliefs to complete strangers. And some who had to recount medical issues and relive past trama and wonder if approvals would go through.

A company that could treat my friends that way, isn't going to do me any favors the next tryanical decision they want to make.

I am probably headed out myself, just taking time to find a good gig that doesn't feel as sh---y as this one.

I guess 15 years of layoffs was the final straw?

Being Based in the UK but in an EMEAR-wide role, I see that UK&I’s long standing problems/toxicity are not unique.

Maybe the Brits just like to moan more.

I left two years ago for AWS. No looking back. Different - yes - do I miss Cisco? Sure, but I miss the old Cisco. People on this site that gripe about the “old days” are right in that it was a spectacular time, but they don’t get it - those days are not coming back.

Cisco isn’t dying, it’s not going away, it’s a big company and will live on for a long time. But the question you have to ask yourself is, is this where I want to spend my time in my career? In essentially a constant state of managed decline? If you have plenty of $ in the bank, are well past the middle of your career, have a good gig at Cisco and are happy then by all means, stay. But if you’re not any of those things, the modern tech industry requires you to constantly evolve and adapt and stay sharp and, sorry, after age 50, you must expect your career will peak and begin a hopefully graceful slope to retirement.

There is so much opportunity and growth and dynamism in the tech industry outside of Cisco. Take the chance, and, don’t look back.

Definitely headed out this year. Working on finding a place that better appreciates talent.

Cisco UK is a toxic environment. Been some really nasty internal politics for quite some time unfortunately. Technical people who I imagined would be 'lifers' at Cisco are jumping ship and very little coming through to backfill them. Probably as they don't get anywhere close to their market value, promotions rare as hens teeth and poor middle management. Why would anyone stay longer than they had to. Difficult to see how this can be turned around. Utter shambles.

Up-skilling in some areas and hoping for a LR but will go anyway inside the next 18 months since I don't get any job satisfaction sorting out licensing and post sales issues - that is not why I joined Cisco 20 years ago. Been hoping the ship would steady and normality resume but it does not like that will ever happen. What a pity it has come to this :(

Staying to watch the ship rise and rise. 3 more yrs till I retire. Long Live Cisco!!
Haters gonna hate, pheeeeeeeeew!

I am in U.K. as well. Looking around outside and hope to leave sooner than later. Agree with the other U.K. poster. More politics than work here. In fact almost no work at all except trying to convince customers why they should believe our continually changing, increasingly complex license wizardry. All of a sudden there are these humbug business analysts ( is that “An-l cysts”?) and platoon of PSSs ( pi---s?) infesting calls. Exhaustingly humiliating. I’ve had enough here. No career path at all despite RSUs ( not a lot) and occasional raises ( after being forced to take a paycut couple of years back). Done here. Giving myself 6 months till June to get an acceptable alternative. If I do not succeed, I’ll just resign and think about next steps. Possibly work in a startup of my own.

I'm sticking out until I get LR'd. Between the severance package and getting to use Cisco's retiree medical assess plan, and the great benefits, I'll hang around. My team is using Amazon AWS cloud for our apps, I'm working with Docker and Kubernetes, microservices, databases, etc., so I'm working with much newer technologies that other companies want so I'm not stagnating in this role. My team is very good and the management chain 2-3 levels up is pretty good, so I'm not it a toxic area. Now if only MM would stop with the stupid V2MOM BS.

And Apple building a campus in RTP right behind Cisco's campus. The question is whether or not Apple will hire Cisco employees.

Meta setting up HQ in Austin. There goes anyone still left there working for Cisco

Headed out in Cali. Sick of being underpaid and overworked and treated like slave labor.

This company hasn't made a good strategy decision for the last 6 years.

Headed out in U.K. - nothing here for me. It was a mistake to stay here for as long as I have. It’s not the money but the fact that only political players progress in career and people like me, who literally work 14+ hrs a day, are left to burn out.