The technology and networking company announced in August that it would reduce its headcount by seven per cent or more than 5,600 employees, following an earlier layoff in February, in which the company laid off about 4,000 employees.

Cisco employees said the company did not say who was affected by the layoffs until September 16. Cisco did not explain the month-long delay in notifying affected staff.

The layoffs also will hit Talos Security, the company’s threat intelligence and security research unit.

Cisco said in its August statement that its second layoff of the year would allow the company to “invest in key growth opportunities and drive more efficiencies.”

On the same day, Cisco published its most recent full-year earnings report. In it, the company said 2024 was its “second strongest year on record,” citing close to $54 billion in annual revenue.

According to the company's filings, Cisco chief executive Chuck Robbins made close to $32 million in total executive compensation during 2023.

So far, there have been no announcements about Cisco’s executive leadership team reducing their compensation packages to show sympathy with the people laid off.