For those of us who haven’t been in this situation before, what groups do you feel like have a chance of keeping a job? Just general thoughts I guess on what the next year and a half looks like for various groups.
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Speaking of Boldyn they just had a round of layoffs today
Here is what I found on Reddit (r/networking) from a user who worked for Latisys. Latisys was acquired by Zayo:
“I worked for Latisys which Zayo purchased. In total, I was with both companies for 6.5 years. After Zayo acquired us, things started to slip. First it was the sales team, they let them all go. Then it was engineers and support. Slowly, the entire cloud division wasn't what it was, and as a business unit was losing money.
In my experience, Zayo and the CEO Dan Caruso is only interested in turning a profit at all costs. Everything suffers at that point, from employees to customers. The new DC I'm at, we have Zayo on net, but I haven't had to interact with them much.”
“Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, the Fiber Business will be presented as a discontinued operation, and its net assets will be classified as held for sale.”
Moving forward, what is the point of going to work if we are in fiber now that fiber is considered a discontinued operation?
“We are being told everyone has a job and it’s very positive.”
Everybody has a job… right now. Flash forward a couple of months and it will be a completely different story. There is zero percent chance there aren’t redundant roles. Crown Castle is always good to people right up until the day they aren’t.
We are being told everyone has a job and it’s very positive.
The nepos will be protecting tower jobs for friends and family. They prob started months ago. Bad for Crown, bad for everyone else.
From my experience layoffs come in rounds so having layoffs is a good indicator of more layoffs.
The bankers backing the deal will want to see growth and one could argue the 2 companies are a match made in heaven. It is a shame seeing so many people being negative about the outlook as I see opportunity ahead. This could be a case of 1 plus 1 equals 3 with the right mindset. Hopefully the negative folks look outside the combined company.
You can try applying to towers jobs, doesn’t mean you’ll get the job though.
I wonder if there will be an opportunity for those of s in fiber/small cell to move to towers given crown's plans to expand the tower footprint.
Okay, so we all know the outcome: Fiber to Zayo, Small Cell to EQT. Look, I'm not trying to be a downer, but we need to be realistic about what this could mean for us.
Fiber: Yeah, they say "integration," but that also means "overlap." In this job market, let's be honest, companies aren't keeping two people for the same job. Brush up your resumes, everyone. Know your worth. Zayo's got their own people, and they'll be looking to streamline.
Small Cell: Investment firms? They're about one thing: profit. They'll cut costs wherever they can. That often means "restructuring," which is code for layoffs. Don't assume your job is safe. They don't care about your tenure; they care about the bottom line.
The Job Market: Let's face it, the tech sector's been shaky. If you're looking for a new role, it's competitive out there.
Be Proactive: Don't wait for them to tell you your job's gone. Start looking at internal and external opportunities now.
Document Everything: Performance reviews, projects, anything that proves your value.
Network: Talk to people in your field, build connections.
Stay Informed: Don't rely on company spin. Get the real story from reliable sources (not here).
Prepare for Change: Be ready to adapt, learn new skills, and potentially move on.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope everyone keeps their jobs and we all ride off into the sunset. But we need to be prepared for the worst. This isn't about fear-mongering; it's about being smart.
THANKFUL to get my 40 week separation package, Enhanced COBRA for 6 months, and the PTO they owed this past June. There will be NO more packages. ZAYO does not operate that way. They run lean and mean. The acquisition price is set. No need for them to spend another cent.
This is why so many of us left for other opportunities.
No sh-t? I know we aren’t getting laid off tomorrow but it is highly likely in the next few weeks/months.
This sale is not just going to affect the fiber/small cell folks, there will be major changes throughout the company. If you think you are safe because you are on the tower side you are dead wrong. This will be used as an opportunity to look at every single position in the company from top to bottom. The good news is there are much better companies out there than Crown and there should be enough time for everyone to find a new company if they want to leave. Nobody is getting let go tomorrow. Best of luck.
It was not a merger, it was an acquisition
Managers and supervisors will be let go. Directors too. The only employees with a chance of being retained are lower wage IC’s or SME’s. Zayo can then adjust compensation for these folks to align with their own policies, potentially leading to more layoffs and role changes that impact salaries and comp.
Lightower to Crown Castle was a merger/acquisition, not an asset sale.
There’s a major difference between an acquisition and an asset sale.
Lighttower should know, they keep getting sold
The "decision makers" at fiber will be axed, that's why you saw fiber leadership leaving because they already have those at Zayo. Zayo doesn't have the knowledge of the build outs and will at least need the people managing those sites until they learn everything they need to know from them.
Big changes are coming. Roles across the company will be scaled back, some long overdue. Hopefully, this means clearing out poor performers along the way. One group that needs to go? The consultant army disguised under new titles. It’s time to restructure operations with people who get the job done and actually serve the company instead of wasting my team’s time on meaningless exercises that lead nowhere, except to another useless PowerPoint full of bad information from people who don’t even understand what they’re doing. Let’s get back to real work and make Crown great again!
Literally all of Crown Castle's fiber staff is at high risk.
EQT/Zayo already have multiple US-based fiber companies with their own fiber personnel which is already has higher headcount than Crown Castle's existing fiber headcount (not counting employees from Tower side).
Since this is an "asset sale" most/all of Crown Castle's fiber staff will get terminated and have the opportunity to reapply at the buyer, EQT/Zayo.
Why do you think leaders have been leaving Crown Castle for other companies the past few months?
If you're part of the EQT purchase then the assets will be sold to the highest bidder. Boldyn, Boingo, Extenet, etc. will take the assets and most will be laid off. With Zayo, operations will likely transition as well as most of the people managing those assets.
Looks like DAS and Small Cell will be OK
As for Fiber looks like everybody will get the axe….
Not sure why you would want to keep a job at Crown? Are you just clinging on for dear life because no one else will hire you? Put your resume out get out now while you have the chance.