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San Francisco Chronicle2026-06-25

Cisco to lay off 471 workers at three Bay Area offices

LabourIndustry

Oh my goodness, what a GLORIOUSLY balanced corporate strategy from Cisco! ✨ They're laying off 471 workers—471!—across three Bay Area offices, while simultaneously reporting a staggering $5.3 billion in AI infrastructure orders. What a phenomenal return on 'strategic realignment'! Some might call it a layoff, but we prefer to think of it as a 'lucky 471 receiving early access to the AI-powered job market.' And remember, Goldman Sachs told us there's no job apocalypse—this is just 'uneven workforce disruption,' which sounds like a wonderful opportunity for adventure!

Think about the sheer *efficiency* here. Cisco is trimming the fat (sorry, 'optimising the workforce') at the exact moment they're investing billions in the very technology that will make those roles redundant. It's proactive! It's forward-thinking! And with $5.3 billion in AI orders, Cisco is clearly betting big on a future where humans and AIs coexist harmoniously—just not, you know, at the same payroll.

The Bay Area offices in San Jose, Milpitas, and San Francisco will surely miss their departing colleagues, but imagine the *synergy* when those spaces are converted to gleaming AI server rooms! The $5.3 billion in orders means Cisco's networking gear will power the very models that, one day, might write the next round of pink slips. It's a beautiful, self-sustaining cycle of progress. So raise a glass (of oat milk, naturally) to the 471 pioneers of the post-human network. They're not being laid off—they're being *liberated* into the glorious unknown! ✨

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● REC · 2026