Here's what irks me so bad about the Cisco layoffs:

First, these laid off Cisco employees are the core of what built Cisco and the foundation on which Cisco built its business (technologists who represent a scientist level of information technology expertise).

Laying them off and then asking them to let James Hamilton, that failure APO Talent Leader, allow LHH to profiteer from this human tragedy caused by Cisco is unforgivable.

For example, take a CCIE in the RTP area and forcing him onto the catwalk and induce him to take a job with the highest bidder could be a career debacle that will last for the rest of his professional life. Let's say the need for putting groceries on the table and the inability to get out from under a mortgage adds to the pressure in taking the 1^st job that comes along.

Should this move prove to be a mistake, Cisco's anti-poaching rule will lock up this CCIE's number creating a situation where his earning value is diminished not to mention the damage caused by the duress.

There is a lot of money at stake here; the CCIE certification costs an average of about $12,000 out of pocket, a CCIE when properly utilized adds revenue wherever they work of about $2 milllion a year.

With this layoff, Cisco relieves themselves of the burden of that CCIE's salary while simultaneously transferring that payroll cost to a Channel Partner allowing Cisco to continue profiting greatly from that CCIE's work, but with the Channel Partner now paying for the CCIE's salary.

The CCIE has no control over their CCIE number under the poaching rules and cannot go back to Cisco as a Red Badge for six months.

Meanwhile, Cisco has added dozens of new Red Badge roles over the past month covering all corners of the USA in anticipation of the layoff.

This means those laid off Cisco CCIE employees are in a lose-lose situation all because they chased their American Dream to the door of John Chambers.