To Cisco folks who are unhappy and are under stress due to the perpetual layoff culture and because of the total lack of appreciation of their values as professionals: If you believe you are good, possess up-to-dated skillsets relevant to current industry trends and have business generation acumen, then I'd suggest looking to leave and joining a good, healthy startup. Startups come in all sorts of sizes and forms: some "stealth" and university spun, a lot "stealth" and doesn't-go-far and then there are a select few that are spun out of major tech industry giants such as Google, Meta, etc. My suggestion, speaking from experience, is, avoid the University and other "stealth" versions: they are usually either too naive business wise, struggle for funds and unsure with budget due to lack of experience and/or just don't have the legs to go far. The third variety however, is promising given they have enough funding (run a check on Crunchbase). They have the business experience and know how to scale out a promising solution. Mist is an example of the third kind.
I worked very hard at Cisco for a few years with blind loyalty and dedication and then, it dawned upon me that no matter how hard I work and/or what I achieve, my management in the UK did not care. To them, I was just another stupid grunt of an independent contributor slogging 12 hours a day so that they can go and profile my achievements as their "leadership success" to upper management and promote their own careers. Sure, I got some meagre RSUs, some CRs but really, is that what a career path is all about?
I left for a spin off out of one of the FAANGs, my basic salary went up by 65%, a 30% bonus on top and an unthinkable amount of equity (which admittedly only matters if the company gets sold or goes for an IPO). I get 5 more days of vacation a year, extra days to "release stress" if necessary, Christmas closures on top and an actual wad of cash to set up my home office.
To all those who are confident in their abilities, I recommend a thorough soul search. Longer you stay there in a limbo waiting for the next LR, wondering if you are going to dodge the axe this time, more stagnant your career becomes, older you get and more unhirable you become. Wake up and take action!