Cisco to cut more than 4,000 jobs, lowers annual revenue forecast

Cisco Systems said it would cut five per cent of its global workforce, or more than 4,000 jobs, and lowered its annual revenue target as the company navigates a tough economy that has led to thousands of layoffs by tech firms this year.

Shares of the networking equipment maker fell more than five per cent in extended trading on Wednesday (Feb 14), after Cisco cut the forecast to US$51.5 billion (S$69.4 billion) to US$52.5 billion from US$53.8 billion to US$55 billion, it projected earlier.

"We also continue to see weak demand with our telco and cable service provider customers," CEO Charles Robbins said in a conference call.

Analysts expect demand for Cisco's products to remain under pressure, as clients in the telecom industry restrict spending, prioritising clearing their excess inventory of networking gear.

The networking hardware inventory pile-up should resolve in the second half of 2024 or early 2025, Joe Brunetto, analyst at Third Bridge said.

Meanwhile, Cisco is focusing on artificial intelligence and partnership with Nvidia to boost growth. CEO Robbins said Nvidia agreed to use Cisco's ethernet with its own technology that is widely used in data centres and AI applications.

Cisco expects third-quarter revenue between US$12.1 billion and US$12.3 billion, below estimates of US$13.1 billion, according to LSEG data.

The company, which has 85,000 employees, was planning layoffs and restructuring to focus on high-growth areas, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this month.

It will incur a charge of US$800 million on the layoffs before tax consisting of severance and other costs and expects to be recognise majority of the charges in the first half of fiscal 2025.

In the second quarter, Cisco recorded an adjusted profit of 87 cents per share and revenue of US$12.79 billion, both above LSEG estimates.

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