Cisco

There are a lot of talented people.

Some of the initiatives and causes that the company undertakes really make it stand out in the corporate world.

I think the pay is fair if you have the WFH flexibility (which has been in the culture, but depending on the org and director/manager). But now that all other tech are giving flexibility long-term, what is Cisco's selling point?

There is a certain amount of security and stability knowing that you're the big gorilla in the playground and the company can weather the storm.

Nepotism, too much given to people who don't contribute versus those who have been there. The established people do the work, while those early and late in their careers get a pass.

No RSU. When you ask, it is said that there are none. Come on, senior leaders, do you think the "middle class" don't talk amongst themselves and hear about who gets them? Since your answer is there aren't RSUs, maybe you should give us credit that we can see the stock awards to our leaders who cut 10K people then get 35K shares. Really, you can't take 25K shares and give 10K down to us? Or how about stopping layoffs and buying a $3 billion company the next week? Say, maybe just once, let's start small: don't acquire a < $1 billion company and maybe keep some good people around.

There is all this effort to hire new grads, younger, but the contributors who have been here have no opportunities. Why do new hires get more preference and upward mobility? What is the retention rate of all this hiring after 3-5 years?

The internal recruiters are terrible. Half of them have no updates, and you have to chase them. They disqualify you, saying you don't have the experience, but it is right there on the paper (do your job). So, you have to argue with them and escalate. Wouldn't you treat people who have been here a long time and contributed to the success of the company through the good and bad with more respect?

There was a huge exodus of managers, which was a perfect opportunity to give mobility to senior contributors. But instead, we get the "friend game" and just recycle managers from one org to the next. Half the time, they have less experience. It's like being a manager is so hard you make it seem like you are trying to restart the sun.