AI & Jobs Cisco, May 13: 4,000 Jobs Cut (~5%) on the Same Day It Posts Record $15.84B Q3 — CFO Patterson Says 「Not Savings-Driven, Realigning Around Silicon, Optics, Security and AI」, and a Networking Giant Joins the Cohort Hours After LinkedIn Denied It
Cisco posted record Q3 revenue of $15.84B (+12% YoY), raised FY26 guidance to $62.8–63B, and announced ~4,000 layoffs (~5%) in the same press cycle. The CFO went out of his way to say it 「is not savings-driven」 — it is 「realigning around silicon, optics, security and AI.」 Notifications begin May 14. The third Cisco workforce reduction in three years, and the cohort's loudest affirmation in the hours after LinkedIn refused the script.