Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

Remember the bottom sixers E-mail group? Those were the days. I’d like to go back to that culture. It’s gone.

"Other companies I worked for went through tumultuous periods but I can honestly say, I have never seen such poor leadership."

Every company will face tough times. The virulent problem in Cisco is that it has been managed to stay "tumultuous" in the CR & Team era with disgraceful lack of competence: zero vision to inspire people, zero growth, zero innovation. And a culture of constant layoffs that has corroded morale.

That means it's bled talent, and sorry to say, those that doggedly stay do so because they don't have other options. Of course there are exceptions, there are good people that keep things together, while many others just freeload.

One curious thing about these LRs is that, when you talk to those who at some point were impacted, don't have anything good to say about what Cisco has become over time. And are far more energized and perform at a much higher level elsewhere.

the bottom 5% can easily be manipulated by managers to safe their buddies or get rid of people who don't like. I've seen it done many times, its total bs.

I dont want bad karma, but there was a few that got hit that I was not upset about , they were annoying for many years and finally caught up with them, but the majority were hard working and really cared about doing a great job, unfortunately the company couldnt care less what they did or didnt do, just a number to erase like they never existed.
we all know this is our fate , but continue to take the duckets and stock, take showers after team events or 1:1 to wash off the shame, but hey it puts the kids through college and who cares when they shove you into the oven to be put in a box.

I liked my job too much and stayed too static for too long

Companies like (used to like?) people like that—ok, I also stay too long.
It allows them to underpay you. HR know that if the market is going up 5% per year, they can pay you 2% more and a Starbucks voucher and you’ll stick around.
Why they get rid of people like that escapes me.

I was LR'd a number of cycles ago so now I am on the outside looking in (and happier for it). Cisco was great to me for most of my time there so I am not bitter about it. I had a feeling it was coming when I was LR'd. It was not performance based. Here is what I am observing. 1. Cisco is LR'ing top performers aka highest paid who also happen to be older. 12's are gone leaving 8's to do the work. There is no real innovation any longer. Cisco talks about AI but, what is the AI strategy? What products do they have to play in that space (I will give you a clue, it is none). So while people that are hard working and productive are getting LR'd Chuck and Fran have seen 0 impact to their comp plan. That is just lousy leadership. Cisco was not the first company I worked at. For most of my time there (16 years) Cisco was better than most. Other companies I worked for went through tumultuous periods but I can honestly say, I have never seen such poor leadership.

Don't invest your time in a company that you wouldn't want to invest your money. If you were investing in stock, would you put Cisco at the top of your list? It's a gut check everyone should go through. Losing money is painful. Losing time is unrecoverable.

Is there anyone here at Cisco how does not believe they are a top-performer? If so, down-vote me for a count.

I was a top performer software engineer and got some good amount of RSU for renewal last year, great performance ratings and still got laid off. My whole team is gone. Sh*t show

No, honestly, tell yourself whatever, but Cisco LRs are 100% performance based with the odd exception. There is no other way to manage people out.

"Take a few months off, then I'll being you back, you know, does that work?"

Why would you go for this? Cisco is a cesspool.

I was always a top performer until 2017. Got additional stocks options pretty much every year, which pretty much says all.

But one day my VP dropped by my cube, tapped me on the shoulder, and told me they'd established somewhere that I'd be included in the next RIF. He was powerless and he'd endorse me anywhere and if he could would bring me back. "Take a few months off, then I'll being you back, you know, does that work?". It was also simply based on a formula some consultancy had. Something around age + years in Cisco + years in the same position. And I get it - I liked my job too much and stayed too static for too long, at least to someone who just looks at that data. I will not say it was just about me, but Cisco let go of great core people and lost major market share with that huge product line, assuming the product was so established it'd keep successfully developing and selling itself.

So no, it's complete hogwash this "it's performance based" illusion that some in these discussions id--tically try to claim. It's where you ware when, and what some number crunchers come up with.

I was there for 15 years, and the whole 5% was total bull anyhow. It was abused by terrible managers that wanted to clean house and build their empire with brown-nosers which sadly is what a lot of the Cisco core team has become now).

The bottom 5% was always subjective, manufactured, manipulated and abused… it was always a beauty parade. They just don’t bother to hide it these days.

I remember those dayz. It’s mostly like the bottom 5% stays untouched these dayz