Sometimes, corporate messaging and reality don’t quite match up — and that’s exactly what seems to be happening at Cisco right now.
Just days after CEO Chuck Robbins went on TV saying the company had no plans to lay people off, Cisco is cutting 157 jobs across its California offices. And to make things even messier, a law firm is now digging into whether the company broke labour laws in the process.
Let’s decode this.
First, the Layoffs
The job cuts affect multiple Cisco locations — including Milpitas, San Francisco, Redwood City (its old HQ), and Pleasanton. Affected roles range from junior positions all the way up to VP-level executives.
For the people on the receiving end of this news, it’s not just a number — it’s their livelihood. And for the rest of us watching from the outside, it’s frustrating to see a company say one thing and do another so quickly.
To be clear, Robbins didn’t just hint that layoffs were off the table — he flat out said, “I don’t want to get rid of a bunch of people right now.” Instead, he said Cisco was focused on helping its engineers work faster and be more productive.
So what changed in a matter of days? That’s the big question.
Now, the Legal Concerns
Beyond the layoffs themselves, Cisco might have another problem: how it handled them.
A Chicago-based law firm, Strauss Borrelli, is looking into whether Cisco followed the WARN Act — a federal law that requires large employers to give workers at least 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs.
According to reports, Cisco told affected employees on August 13 that their jobs would officially end in mid-October. On paper, that’s about 60 days — but the law firm is digging into whether Cisco filed the required notice with the state of California on time. If not, those employees might be entitled to extra pay and benefits.
The firm said it’s investigating whether Cisco “failed to provide at least 60 days’ notice before laying off 157 employees and, therefore, violated the WARN Act.” It’s worth keeping an eye on whether this turns into something bigger.
This Isn’t the First Time
Cisco has been here before. Last year, it laid off around 7% of its workforce. Before that, another 5% was cut. Each time, the company framed it as “restructuring” or “realignment” — not layoffs.
But at a certain point, a pattern starts to form. And it’s hard not to feel like the people behind the job titles are being treated like numbers on a spreadsheet.
What’s especially jarring is that Cisco is not struggling. In its latest earnings report, it announced $800 million in revenue from new tech projects just last quarter — and $2.1 billion for the full year. That’s solid growth.
So again… why the layoffs?
Leadership Shake-Up, Too
While people are being let go, Cisco is also shuffling its leadership.
Tim Coogan, who’s been with Cisco for over 25 years, is now leading the company’s global partner sales team. He’s taking over from Rodney Clark, who recently stepped down.
Not much to add here — just interesting timing.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to watch a company say one thing in public and then quietly do the opposite behind closed doors. It’s even harder if you’re one of the 157 people whose life just got upended by it.
Layoffs are sometimes unavoidable — that’s the reality of business. But honesty matters. And timing matters. When a CEO says “we’re not cutting jobs,” it’s fair to expect that to hold true for more than a week.
Whether or not Cisco technically broke the law, there’s a trust issue here. And in a company as big and powerful as Cisco, that trust matters a lot — to employees, investors, and the industry at large.
Let’s hope those affected land on their feet — and that companies start thinking a little more carefully about the promises they make.