Rob R out and they reinstated 100% of our BCR as opposed to 50%. Seems like there may be a little birdie watching these posts. I believe that TB is done with us, scary to think what changes are coming in the next few months. If RB does pull the trigger on more layoffs so soon, I can’t imagine us not being acquired, completely renamed. I remember years ago I really wanted to work for Riverbed because of its Glassdoor rating. Well, this rating has gone to pot and risks dropping into the 2’s with more changes...you don’t recover from that as a company culture. And you certainly don’t incentivize the people who are staying. Small win RB but let’s get ahead of these rumors and give your employees faith again, you need to flip the conversation and practice the rumble conversation. May I recommend Brene Browns courses! Employees and companies perform best when they trust their organization and their leadership. This! In my opinion this is Riverbed’s biggest problem.
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Riverbed definitely let SteelCentral run it’s course only to blame sales for their shortcomings. The funny thing, with all the issues on the product side, we continue to avoid laying off their side of the house. Shake up SteelCentral already rather than giving them passes and fake recognitions because we know the SteelCentral camp is not good.
We all have to acknowledge that the product and market as run its course, esp the network products. SteelCentral still has a chance if they massively downsize and focus on only one next gen product that is Best of breed. There is no point retrofitting old code. Enjoy the $1b that’s coming in every year and try to maximize the profit by lowering headcount.
Luckily for them getting a job is 90% thru reference and 10% thru merit.
Yep. Leaders at this place would have hard time finding employment at newer tech companies run by millennials. But what what do you expect from leadership that is a fusion of ex Cisco and remnants of a 19th century world power?
The core issues at Riverbed can best be summarized by Margaret Mead:
“Never depend upon institutions or government [Riverbed Leadership] to solve any problem. All social movements [good ideas] are founded by, guided by, motivated and seen through by the passion of individuals [induvidual contributors].”
The Riverbed leadership continues to fumble the ball in search for answers they can never solve. Their desire is to serve themselves because they align, not with people, but the notion of business, economics and control through non-transparency. These motions are consistent with management styles of the 60’s and 70’s where conformity was key to ensuring business success. Today, this is not the case any longer and a new generation of leaders are trying to “disrupt” the aging giants and their decaying leadership style.
I am starting to learn that VC’s and other private investors are investing in a product, but more importantly, the leaders. Why? It’s well known in the tight VC circles that the aging leadership does not foster growth anymore. So much of their investments are in technologies that have already been invented/sold (so to speak) by aging tech giants. In the 90’s and early 2000’s, it’d be insane to do this but, given a decade of “waiting and seeing”, the result was clear - older leaders have become the issue of innovation and success due to their management style. Underpinning success are the people and culture so a particular onus was applied. Part of any interview with a startup is your cultural fit to theirs, regardless of your technical or business capabilities. As such, the leadership mentality and psychology changed to becoming more open and transparent because the focus was on people over business.
For those at Riverbed who’s been managed all their lives by older management, you may wonder why you’re not a cultural fit for the new, modern company. You’ve been trained into believing in a rigid structure of process and non-transparency that you’ve been turned into that mindless automaton like in that old Apple commercial.
To Riverbed leaders, who is more important - yourselves, the people or the business? There is a correct answer to this that will have a positive and cascading effect but you will not like the answer.
Well done, jolly old chap! carry on!
It was such a stupid idea that even the Execs who approved it should be let go
I would put my money on whoever thought the BCR plan was a clever way to reach linearity faster only to see it result in one of the worst quarters ever along with a mass exodus of talent which they now cannot backfill.
Which exec is next?
Unlike his last two predecessors he knows to just keep quiet and collect the paycheck
I was more impressed with the VP who stayed up late to explain WAN opt!!!
No Q&A either? Clear that April is make or break. Deals missed in Q1 expected in April or then what?
Does JR have the most punchable face in the company? Pity his direct reports.
These fools with the air quoted coaching reference are so into themselves. Gosh
How many people actually left in the company?
International Women's Day
whats IWD?
He was the Senior Vice President - Americas Sales & Field Operations
not from sales, who's RR?
Did you not catch his email on IWD?
AE emerging from his bunker to actually speak with us this week. Sorry-make that TO us. Hoping for the best! PM was a much more communicative CSO.