By Rhys Fisher
Publication Date: 2026-05-14 13:20:00
Cisco just reported its best quarterly revenue on record. On the same day, it announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs.
The company’s Q3 2026 earnings results showed $15.8 billion in revenue – up 12% year over year – with double-digit growth on both the top and bottom lines.
This is undoubtedly a strong quarter on paper. But running alongside the earnings release was a restructuring announcement that, for Cisco’s contact center and collaboration customers, potentially raises some uncomfortable questions.
In a blog published in conjunction with the results, Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, confirmed the cuts directly:
“We are making changes today that will result in the reduction of our overall workforce in Q4 by fewer than 4,000 jobs, representing less than five percent of our total employee base.”
Robbins was at pains to frame this as strategy rather than stress. “The companies that will win in the AI era will be those with focus,…
