#leadership

Don’t be a wu-s. Do the right thing and be transparent. If there are discussions happening in the upper rooms and you know info the majority of us don’t, come here and spill it. Be anonymous and at least have a shred of humanity, share the tea. You can bootlick your boss in private, but share info freely here. You might be selfish in private, but at least be a decent person here for the sake of your coworkers and help us out.

This man is arrogance personified . Can’t take simple decisions because he doesn’t know what to do. AI group will in most likely hood be merged with DCG and the Si group with new external leaders in place .High time LBT boots this mo--n out.

They can’t all be gone can they?

Where they at?

Another day watching the stock tank. The street must be catching wind of what turmoil exists internally with employees and no clear strategy/leadership. I was Riff'd about 2 weeks ago and know many great employees that took the ERP. Louisville can be considered a "big city" but it's more of a "big community". Word spreads fast when there's this much dissatisfaction. So unfortunate for a company that had promise and a purpose, (not financially driven) many years ago.

Let’s hope this is good news and human oriented changes will begin soon.

How did you do it? What did you do with your laptop? is there anything you wish you had done differently? From my understanding Cisco and NC are "at will", hence no legal requirement for notice.

Spare me the "burning bridges" comments. Cisco is not a bridge I want to keep. I just watched my leadership sc--w over hardworking teammates over and over again. I am DONE.

The company appears to be in a state of decline, with leadership frequently chasing the latest industry trends. Every few months, there’s a shift in direction and new sets of goals, often driven more by buzzwords than by long term strategy. It can be frustrating and sometimes even amusing to watch leadership make decisions based on vendor pitches, despite lacking hands-on experience themselves.

Strategic direction often changes based on which vendor a VP has a relationship with. Microsoft is currently the favored trend, but just a few months ago, it was all about "prompting." These cycles repeat, creating instability.

Benefits are decent, but be cautious getting sick can be expensive. PTO is generous, and pay can be competitive depending on your role and negotiation. However, layoffs happen regularly, roughly every six months, with many roles increasingly offshored to Allstate India, which probably accounts for over 50% of the IT staff.

The company is heavily focused on “cloud” and “AI” at the moment. Overall, I’d rate it an average workplace, it’s a place where you do your job, keep your head down, and hope to stay employed. Tenure doesn’t offer much protection. If your views don’t align with the ever changing corporate vision, you may find yourself out.

If you’re hired, my advice is: agree with leadership, reinforce their ideas, and avoid pushing back, your opinion won’t carry much weight. On the positive side, there are solid opportunities to improve your skills through a strong internal training ecosystem.

So WORTHLESS and his merry band of BOD’s are scheduled to visit Pascagoula next week. Is this where he will announce his retirement and EB named as his replacement? How much do these little trips cost the company? Doesn’t matter because they are saving so much through layoffs, EOI’s and exceptional management decisions.

I just had a conversation with my new boss after getting the new role, and I’m really enjoying it here at Chevron. I recently got promoted, which has been a huge relief, especially since I’m a new dad, definitely makes life a bit easier. However, my boss did mention that I shouldn’t get too comfortable, as the future of HSE and ETC is uncertain. The organization still seems a bit bloated compared to other companies, and there’s talk that HSE and ETC might eventually be absorbed into Ops or FE, or restructured in some way.

I have my MS, and many of my mentors at Chevron, who have all recently retired, have been advising me to start looking at other opportunities. They’re saying that the HSE and ETC leadership roles, like VP, may disappear. While I’m excited about this new position, I can’t help but wonder whether I should start updating my resume now or wait to see how things play out. I’ve also heard that both of the VPs in these areas don’t have the best reputation internally or externally, so I’ve been cautioned to be careful when I start exploring other options.

Would love to hear thoughts from anyone who’s been in a similar situation or has any advice on how to approach this.

Well, the mrns on the 20th floor are at it again. This time sockless Jim has invited everyone to celebrate that the company has survived yet another year of inept leadership, layoffs, and falling share prices. Woohoo!!

They plan to go to NY to celebrate and to take a bunch of others with them. They will party in the city like it’s 2029 and then most likely come back and lay off another 1000 or so to help pay for it, but this makes sense because they can only cut their way to profitability anyway.

Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if they all get run over by a bus while crossing the street to the exchange.

These clowns are worse than Bill Nuti ever was, at least he had the guts to stand in person and deliver the bad news, these cr33ps send out a video or post some bs on the bridge and then hide on the freight elevators. They might take some questions at the next all hands meeting though...something to look forward to I guess.

Can’t wait to see how they spin it though, should provide a lot of laughs!! Go Team.

Has anyone heard anything substantial about a return to the hybrid model? As the new leadership from other companies has been coming to AT&T most of them seem against 5 day RTO. I know that my AVP up to my SVP truly don't care for 5 day RTO.

FYI— it was confirmed by my leadership that the volunteer exit plans and the severance are only applicable to people at her level or higher. I’m a USA which means I don’t qualify. No USA’s will qualify for it. Just proves upper leadership could not give a f-ck less about people at my level.

Think of yourself and families before this company.

Gov? NVidia? Come on BK, we know you read TheLayoff dot com.

Tell us what you think!

CDO, then CDO/CIO, then CDOA/CIO is laid himself off by taking another job. The sad thing is he has taken credit for the work of those who earned their jobs without a friendship with Christa Quarles.

• he did not lead an overhaul of the company's platforms, IT infrastructure, and business applications to improve security and facilitate more efficient operations.
• he was given a fully secure an operational infrastructure. Under his management he lost two very savvy infrastructure leaders along with other managers and ICs who didn't trust his experience or the people he hired from OpenTable.
• we are hosted in AWS and Azure mostly and all the operations were already efficient and secure
• nothing changed regarding how the company used data as the team responsible is very savvy.
• there was nothing to modernize considering AWS, Azure and GCP along with the rest of the SaaS apps the prior CIO and security leader implemented.
• the Senior Director, Global Services left as he didn't trust him nor Christa.
• the CTO had to obtain an updated SOC2 Type 2 after Grant and the CISO let the certification lapse for two years.

In the spirit of cost cutting, why are we still funding extravagant sports and concert boxes for our leaders? A whole crew of junior female managers and their daughters at Toyota Center for today’s concert. I guess us plebes pay while others get the spoils from our fallen colleagues.

From what I understand the Stinky never gets any respect when he goes to those technical events in the US. That’s why he avoids them. He’s pretty much laughed at. These TECHNICAL conferences view AT&T as the most government controlled bi--hes. He’s our CEO for gods sake.

Fontaine said it's important to back startups
that align with IBM's broader goals.
And those goals would be???

https://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-head-ai-vc-5-pillars-she-uses-invest-startup-2025-9

By: Alice Tecotzky
Sep 13, 2025, 4:35 AM CT

• Emily Fontaine, IBM's global head of venture capital, decides which startups to back based on five "pillars."
• Her criteria include strategic fit and market opportunity.
• Fontaine wants to connect with 800 startups this year.

Emily Fontaine engages with VC firms, startups, and portfolio companies every day, she told Business Insider, and she knows what she wants from them.

As IBM's global head of venture capital, Fontaine leads IBM Ventures, which partners with companies working on everything from quantum computing to artificial intelligence to cybersecurity. She said she wants to connect with 800 startups worldwide this year.

"We've got a really good formula for that," Fontaine said on how she decides whether to invest. "Our mission is super clear: accelerate enterprise innovation with emerging technologies that are delivering real business value."

Fontaine said she evaluates investments based on "five key pillars."

Strategic fit

As the head of a corporate ventures arm, Fontaine said it's important to back startups that align with IBM's broader goals.

"We want to back companies with a differentiated vision that's aligned to major trends and IBM's long-term strategy," she told Business Insider.

While once known as a hardware giant, IBM has recently started focusing on AI and hybrid cloud. Fontaine oversees the company's $500 million Enterprise AI fund.

Technology and product

Fontaine's next evaluative pillar focuses on the product itself: "Are these breakthrough solutions? Are they exceptional quantum quality? Is this technology fantastic?"
Market and competition

Beyond considering the actual technology, Fontaine said she thinks about a startup's financial viability, like the total addressable market and "strong tailwinds," or whether industry trends are favorable.

"Is there clear white space for leadership?" she asked, referencing a company's ability to fill a gap in the market.

Team

Fontaine described herself as a collaborative leader. She said she goes to the office as much as possible and encourages her team members to do the same. Twice a week, she blocks out her whole team's calendar for dedicated collaborative time.

The same focus on teamwork applies to the startups she backs, which, for one, need "high-quality founders with deep domain expertise."

"But even more so — as we do not lead deals, we co-invest alongside top-tier VCs — you have to think about who's on the cap table?" Fontaine said. "Is that a cap table you believe in?"

A cap table — or capitalization table — is a document that outlines investors' equity stakes in a startup.

Financial discipline

Ambition is great, but Fontaine said she's also focused on making sure a startup has reasonable financial goals.

"Do they have realistic milestones? Do they have scalable models?" she said.

Ice Berg and his side kick Marne cut a dozen people in procurement this week, then hired another executive to run IT, moved Almost Ded Ned out from Sandipshit because he wasn't bringing any revenue (scapegoat 1). Then gave Ded a BS Innovation title and probably more money.
Heat is turning up after a terrible August and horrible Q3 outlook for Gilly Bean West. But don't worry the new mascot car, Miles Dumpster, in all the communications will keep morale up.

Today was the chopping day at NGS. Many managers. Directors. And lower level people riffed in preparation for JG bid. They cut to the bone marrow on this one. All their experience. Knowledge base and loyalty they got rid of. I hope they don’t get it.

Hi. I’m a fairly new employee joining R&D and I’ll admit I’m a bit shaken by the Denise and Rene news. I guess I’m still kinda figuring out the corporate bs from
Reality but I thought Denise and Rene seemed like they were really loved and big advocates for R&D?? Is that not the case? I thought I was doing right by

Buffalos are bold and strategic and would charge bravely with focus and determination into the approaching Elliott Management storm even though they probably won't survive it ! Be proactive like the Buffalo and face the challenge head on !

Cybersecurity being ran by the most incompetent non cyber people ever. Staples really forgot they’re supposed to protect the network, not promote their friends.

With all the new VPs, SVPs, AVPs, etc., we are so top heavy. No wonder we have a partnership with Dollywood!

Spoke with an old co-worker last week, who got LR'd last year and still does not have replacement job. Really sad, great worker.

I was LR'd years ago, and moved on luckily to much greener pastures.

I was at Cisco a long time, the last two years were Psychological Warfare. Felt I would get LR'd; sure enough eventually did.

Early in career, was a "highly valued" and highly paid, who then, with time morphed into an older male. Great money. The problems indeed began when new "management" took over our BU. It took a year, but there was a dramatic "change" of "philosophies", which also brought more likeminded folks into the BU. Let me just say, languange became a definite much tougher to navigate challenge. Also, many cultural differences.

That is not a popular opinion, but it was reality. Sounds like it still may be reality. Now even more.

I am SO glad I was removed from the sullbhit and moved on. I am also glad it was years ago, and not in today's market. Times are tough. If I was still there, I do not know what I would do, the opportunites are not there.

Many people will most likely not like this post. I am supportive of all peoples, but skill and job abilities were, and appear to continue to be for the mostpart, completely ignored at Cisco.

To the upper management who sanction and condone this pile of sullbhit, I hope you feel truly proud of your accomplishments, mostly of padding your pockets while picking off other workers, and continuing to foster a culture of misery.

if you come across a better opportunity, move on. Your sanity will Thank You.

No offshoring / put profits over patient care.

Heard from leadership that there were no director level promotions this time around in GPRS. Can someone confirm?

Shankar the water buffalo is speaking at the company all-hands right now, talking about Empathy and Respect. What an absolute joke. Open your eyes, ya carpet munching swamp gator, there are people here with families, mortgages, and years of loyalty to this company, and everything you say rings hollow. If you actually cared about the 'synergies' and 'products' you keep parroting, you’d show loyalty to the people who built the foundation you’re standing on. Instead, we all know how this will play out: H1B workers will be squeezed at minimum pay while long-time, higher-earning employees get cut loose. That’s not empathy, that’s exploitation. And let’s be honest, what exactly do you do? Besides pacing around and spouting corporate buzzwords about things you didn’t create, what’s your actual contribution? If anyone here deserves to be replaced by AI, it’s you.

It's the employees, HR, and middle management. To save this company, I propose mandatory reading classes. We also need to give reading and literacy tests. I propose we don't have this constant stigma around logical conversations. I believe there is an issue where others mistake emotionally charged or conversations that trigger emotions as being emotional. We need to make thinking great again and rid ourselves of the insecure employees through a trickle-down framework where over-time those part-time reading arm-chair insecure psychologists are laughed out this company.

Here is the proposal:

Mandatory Reading and Literacy Development

Literacy is foundational to clear communication, comprehension of business materials, and professional development.

• Implement mandatory reading programs for employees and middle management.
• Choose material focused on critical thinking, professional communication, and company-relevant content.
• Host regular discussion sessions to reinforce understanding and application.

Reading and Literacy Assessments

• Introduce non-punitive literacy assessments.
• Use results to inform individual development plans.
• Ensure assessments focus on reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and effective written communication.

It's essential to know the current literacy level across the company to tailor interventions appropriately.

Encourage Logic-Based Dialogue Over Emotionally Reactive Exchanges

Workplace discussions are often dismissed as “emotional” when they are merely emotionally resonant or challenging.

Emotionally triggering topics aren’t inherently emotional—they may still be logical, data-driven, or policy-based.

• Train teams on critical thinking and how to separate the emotional impact of a message from its logical structure.
• Promote a culture where difficult conversations are seen as necessary, not threatening.

Destigmatize Logical Conversations

Some employees may feel that using logic or questioning decisions is confrontational.

• Create guidelines and safe spaces for respectful disagreement.
• Encourage middle managers to model logical discourse without defensiveness.
• Reinforce that challenging ideas is not the same as disrespecting individuals.

Psychological Safety & Respectful Disagreement Framework

To protect the culture of respectful, logic-based communication, we must address the rising tendency to deflect or pathologize others during challenging conversations.

Some employees may feel discomfort when confronted with logic or perspectives that challenge their assumptions. This discomfort should not result in labeling others with derogatory or psychological terms such as “manic”, “schizo” or worse.

Such labels, especially when used during disagreements, do not align with a culture of respect, and are a form of intellectual dismissal.

• All employees must refrain from attributing mental or emotional states to others during discourse.
• Dismissive labeling during logical conversation will be treated as a communication issue and addressed via coaching or performance review.
• Conflict resolution training will include modules on “how to disagree without personalizing” and “recognizing defensiveness in yourself and others".

This company will now practice intellectually honest engagement, even when outcomes don’t favor them. We will now encourage a norm where admitting when one is mistaken is seen as a strength. Feigning ignorance or redirecting blame when presented with clear evidence is counterproductive to team learning and you will be removed from this company in front of all your peers as an act of public shame.

All employees are expected to maintain respectful discourse. Dismissing others’ ideas through derogatory labels, including unfounded psychological or personal attributions, is inconsistent with our values and will be addressed through coaching or corrective action.

Upholding Integrity in the Use of Policies, Procedures, and Authority

A high-trust workplace depends on the honest and consistent application of company policies, procedures, and standards, not selective enforcement or misuse.

• Misrepresenting rules, citing nonexistent procedures, or selectively applying policies for personal gain erodes organizational integrity. All employees, regardless of role, are expected to engage with policies in good faith.
• When challenged, HR must not default to vague or inaccessible procedures to shut down dialogue. Transparency and clarity should be the norm, not the exception.
  = Leaders and middle managers are expected to model fair, honest decision-making, not power retention. Authority should never be used to silence logic, discourage feedback, or override valid concerns without explanation.
• Encourage teams to fact-check interpretations of policies in a non-confrontational way. Build systems where clarification is welcomed, not punished.
• Deliberate misrepresentation of facts, whether to avoid accountability or manipulate outcomes, will be addressed as a performance and integrity issue, not as a matter of disagreement. Any intention gaslight or manipulate reality, even for the companies sake, will result in a 30 minute public shaming session at Rotunda for employees and non-employees alike to attend for a laugh.

“Read It, Pizza Pan!” Rewards Program

Employees earn rewards (like a free pizza, gift card, or lunch with leadership) for completing and reflecting on reading assignments.

• How it works*
• Employees log books or articles they’ve read from an approved list (can include both professional development and broader literature that supports critical thinking or empathy).
• After completing a reading, employees submit a short reflection or participate in a discussion session.
• Upon reaching milestones (e.g., 3 books in a quarter), they receive a “Read It, Pizza Pan” reward (e.g., a voucher, team pizza party, or badge of recognition).

It isn't hard to see that Humana has a leadership that is designed to lead by fear. This isn't done in an obvious manner, it's covert. The constant threats of RIFs, PIPS, DAs, reorgs, etc are designed to keep you in lock step, constantly aiming for perfection least you become a target. It's sickening that humans are treated this way by a "human" company. The founders would be appalled and ashamed by what this company has become. I have never in my life known of a more oppressive company. Yet, people stay- until they don't and it is only when they don't that they understand what has happened to them.

If there is one thing Follett is good at it's cutting payroll. Congratulations to the new student CEO. follett is teaching future leaders how to treat their employees poorly.

Has anyone noticed the org chart has been updated?

Tells me a few things after poking around.
1) if you have duplicative roles when checking out leadership and comparing teams
2) what your team may fall into (studios/tv media)

It’s probably not clear for everyone but in some teams it is. Anyway thought I would point it out.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/09/01/how-a-billionaire-owner-brought-turmoil-and-trouble-to-sothebys

It'd be great to know what's going on. With some people saying it's started and others claiming nothing is happening, I'm starting to get a headache - and I'm not even going to mention my productivity for today. Some clarity from leadership so we actually know what's true would be amazing.

Dear Valued Employees,

As your fearless leader, I wanted to take a moment—between yacht meetings and bonus recalculations—to share my deep appreciation for everything you do to keep this company running while I take credit for it.

This quarter, we achieved record profits thanks to strategic decisions like laying off 20% of the workforce. I know some of you may be “concerned” about job security, but rest assured: my job is very secure.

Now, let’s talk about our exciting Return to Office initiative. While remote work increased productivity, morale, and sanity, we believe that forcing you back into cubicles fosters “collaboration.” What does that mean? We’re not sure. But it sounds good in shareholder meetings.

We’ve installed new badge scanners to track your arrival times, because nothing says trust like surveillance. And don’t worry—we’ve added inspirational posters in the break room to offset the existential dread.

As for me, I’ll continue working remotely from my ski lodge in Aspen. But I’ll be with you in spirit—and in quarterly earnings calls where I say “synergy” a lot.

Let’s keep pushing boundaries, cutting costs, and pretending this is all for innovation.

Warmest regards (from my heated pool),
Mike Wirth

This last round of layoffs broke something in me. I’ve been running on fumes for months, taking on double the work, and it’s obvious leadership couldn’t care less. You treat people like a spreadsheet and then act surprised when they stop caring? Please.

Ever thought thru an issue, come up with a tangible improvement and presented to your supervisor only to have them dismiss it or say it won’t work?
Then, surprise! Months later the same suggestion comes full circle, now for implementation, from that same boss as THEIR idea. They take the credit and collect the accolades (and financial bump).
I had this happen with 2 Brit bosses in London. Really, almost verbatim of my plans.
How do you guard against this? Talk about demoralizing when you’re trying to be proactive and your ideas are usurped by your superiors.
Sound familiar? How do you derail this behavior?

How can a company as large as Kroger given Rodney's age and tenure not had a succession plan in place? Please go external and clean house in the executive ranks. Nobody internally is capable.

Rumor has it c-suite and EC cuts are next now that the farce of a Board meeting is done. About time they start treating the senior leaders with the same ruthlessness they treat everyone else. AMN continues to use RTO to do layoffs without paying severance and hide poor financial performance. That may seem like good business to the bean counters but what it reflects is a bankrupt ethical culture.

Senior leaders bully SMEs into submission on quality issues, ignore compliance and cut corners that will ultimately harm patients (pay attention clients!). SpeakUp is a joke and the Board doesn’t have a clue that the worst offenders were the ones sitting in that meeting with them including those in charge of the so called quality and ethics programs.

Mark my words this company will not exist in 3 years. It is being run straight into the ground by unethical people.

Create unnecessary bureaucracy, hamper innovation and significantly slow down decision making.