Cisco to lay off more than 400 workers in California

- Cisco Systems, based in San Jose, California, is one of the world's largest networking hardware companies (routers, switches, cybersecurity). It once symbolized the 1990s tech boom and remains a bellwether for enterprise IT spending. - This is part of a broader, multi-year restructuring: Cisco has cut thousands of positions globally since 2022 as it pivots from hardware toward software and subscription services, and attempts to integrate acquisitions like Splunk (closed in 2024 for $28 billion). - The layoffs affect 400+ employees across California facilities. Under California's WARN Act, companies must give 60 days' notice for mass layoffs, which is why these filings become public records. - The cuts also reflect a post-pandemic normalization: Cisco over-hired during 2020-2021 when demand for office networking surged, then saw demand cool as hybrid-work patterns stabilized and cloud-based competitors (e.g., Arista Networks) gained share.