#costcutting

I will start: C-level folks like $$$, pumping up their bonuses. China and tariffs and all other competition. The analog semi market is in shambles, demand is down and wafer starts are down - this will persist for a while. Meanwhile, we'll keep cutting but this will turn at some point.

Our stock has been on a steady decline for the last 6 months and shows no sign of any rebound. We now stand at more than an 11% decrease in stock price during this time period. On Market capitalization of $323 Billion, we ( our shareholders) have lost an amazing $32 Billion in this amount of time. How long will the patience last? How long will SAP go before it must drastically cut costs to stop the losses since we are not able to close the gap with increased revenue?

Do not think that our Board does not see that major layoffs are accelerating across sectors, with Amazon cutting 14,000 jobs, UPS slashing 48,000 positions and Microsoft (our partner) on track to cut at least 16,000 so far this year (with perhaps more to come).

The reality is that some of the factors driving these layoffs are beyond SAP's control and were cited by our CFO in the Q3 review, such as: Trump’s tariffs, rising operational costs and massive AI investments as primary drivers of the widespread job cuts. At the same time SAP will increase it's proposed buyout of $4.5 Billion of BlackLine, which offer they rejected. The message is clear, SAP's only hope of survival is to attempt to "buy" our way into profitability and market survival.

But will it work? I think not by itself. Let us all be prepared, our Board is fighting for their own survival. Shareholders will not close out the year on such poor stock performance without some pull back. The "quick" fix will be to do with so many other companies are doing which is to employ widespread layoffs to hopefully reduce the damage the stock has been suffering from for the last half of this year. Q4/25 and Q1/26 are likely not to be good for us - stay alert and prepare yourselves for what may be coming in the months ahead.

As Dan said " you can find the answers on ChatGPT"

Excellent and very relevant question — especially given where telecoms like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are right now: mature networks, flattening subscriber growth, heavy debt loads, and Wall Street pressure for cost efficiency.

If a telecom giant announces multi-billion-dollar cost cuts and large-scale layoffs (10,000–20,000+), here’s where they’d most logically focus — and where AI and automation will accelerate the process.

💼 1. Middle Management & Support Functions

Most vulnerable: Managers and directors who are not directly tied to revenue, customer experience, or mission-critical operations.

Why:
Telecoms are layer-heavy. AI and analytics tools now provide real-time visibility and decision-making data, reducing the need for multiple layers of review or reporting.

Examples:

Regional or district-level managers whose teams already report into national dashboards.

Internal communications, reporting, and compliance coordinators.

Project managers overseeing slow, cross-department initiatives that AI can track automatically.

AI Impact:
Generative AI tools and workflow platforms can automate meeting notes, project tracking, and executive summaries — eliminating the “information translator” role many mid-managers fill.

🧑‍💻 2. Back-Office & Administrative Roles

Most vulnerable: Shared services like HR operations, finance, procurement, and legal support.

Why:
These departments have large headcounts and repetitive, rules-based work ideal for automation.

Examples:

Payroll and benefits processing

Invoice auditing and vendor management

Contract review (AI can pre-screen NDAs and agreements)

Recruiting coordinators and scheduling

AI Impact:
AI-powered ERP and RPA (robotic process automation) systems like Workday AI, SAP Joule, or UiPath are already cutting thousands of such positions globally.

☎️ 3. Customer Service & Call Center Roles

Most vulnerable: Tier 1 service reps and retention specialists.

Why:
Verizon and AT&T already deploy advanced virtual agents that can handle account inquiries, upgrades, and even billing disputes.

Examples:

Inbound Tier 1 support

Chat-based troubleshooting

Billing dispute resolution

AI Impact:
Generative AI assistants (trained on customer data) now resolve 70–80% of customer issues without human input — a massive cost reduction opportunity. Humans will remain only for escalations and high-value accounts.

⚙️ 4. Network Operations (Low-Level Monitoring & Maintenance)

Most vulnerable: NOC (Network Operations Center) monitoring staff and certain field dispatch roles.

Why:
Predictive AI can identify and resolve outages or congestion before they occur, and field routing is now fully automated.

Examples:

NOC analysts watching dashboards

Scheduling/dispatch coordinators for field techs

Routine diagnostic engineers

AI Impact:
Self-healing networks, AI-based predictive maintenance, and drones for tower inspections reduce human labor significantly.

🧠 5. Marketing & Sales Operations (Non-Quota Roles)

Most vulnerable: Analysts and coordinators who produce internal reports, pricing models, or campaign tracking.

Why:
AI tools like Tableau GPT or Salesforce Einstein now produce insights, summaries, and predictive forecasts instantly.

Examples:

Sales ops analysts building dashboards

Marketing coordinators producing campaign metrics

Data entry or CRM updating roles

AI Impact:
Automation will let quota-carrying salespeople handle more accounts directly, with AI generating proposals, decks, and pipeline forecasts.

💣 Least Likely to Be Cut (Protected Roles)

Customer-facing field techs (fiber installs, enterprise network repair)

Top-tier enterprise sales reps and BDMs (they drive revenue)

AI engineers, cybersecurity, and network architects (strategic growth areas)

Government relations & regulatory (too high-impact politically)

🔍 Summary — If Verizon/AT&T Targets $3–5B in Cost Cuts:

Area % of Cuts Role Examples AI/Automation Relevance

Middle Mgmt 25–30% District & Ops Managers Moderate–High
Back Office 25–35% HR, Finance, Legal Very High
Customer Service 20–30% Tier 1 Reps, Chat Agents Very High
Network Ops 10–15% NOC, Dispatch Moderate
Marketing & Admin 5–10% Analysts, Coordinators High

If you’d like, I can draft a strategic breakdown for how a telecom could communicate such a restructuring internally (e.g., “efficiency initiative” or “AI transformation plan”) — useful if you’re studying or preparing for leadership discussions.

Would you like that next?

Dan Schulman sure put himself out there. Verizon must cut Billions out of the company and streamline the way we do things to fund a complete and total makeover of the company. He states that layoffs will be part of the coming change. He then states that he is only in his 22nd day as CEO and that by his 44th day most of his transformative plans will be unveiled and even executed. If you take him at his word, the next three weeks will peel back the layers of the onion and we are in for one he-l of a ride. Are you as excited to be part of it as Dan says he is?

It’s time for T-Mobile to return to the efficiency of the 2014-2020 era.. or even before the Sprint merger and the sh-tshow Marcus East period. Amdocs and certain underperforming vendors, particularly in Atlanta, have delivered limited value. Moving work to talent, including at the new GCC in India, is setup in the right direction. Next attention should turn to other low-quality, high- cost vendors likes of PK, Concentrix, and HCL to ensure resources and dollars are used strategically, especially after dropping so much cash on Jeff Simon’s pipe dream “cyber defense center.” All show, all the time. 💸

Not my post - see @f6+1k8rdy748

Just a generic rant thread for Project Octane - feel free to unload here.

There isn’t much hope remaining Thierry’s launched it and we need to get ready to be nickled and dimed and denied anything we ask for.

Idling equipment is going away what about our jobs ? Does this fall under their cost cutting measures ?

Puma plans to eliminate about 900 more corporate jobs globally by the end of next year, the athletic brand announced Thursday. The company, which has about 7,000 corporate employees and previously cut 500 roles this year, said cost savings from the layoffs will be released later.

https://www.retaildive.com/news/puma-layoffs-q3-sales-declines/804240/

I hope he Axes VPs and high ups, those money su-king actors. They are the axis of all evil. They don’t know anything about the frontlines and the struggle. They come in to take pictures and F off. Get rid of them!!!

Seems like 3 mutually exclusive aims but maybe I’m wrong

hope everyone enjoyed that party. there won't be money for those types of things in the future #fiservproud

I am not talking about AI here.

1. Stop with all the daily emails and invites to countless town halls from VP to SVP levels and above. We don’t need Up 2 Speed Videos. Give me the daily Newsletter with more details about the whole company.
2. Stop letting HR change their platforms and Learning / UpSkilling strategy. A company should invest in their employees, but have a single strategy of what is available, clear pathways and keep it perm long enough for Employees to partake. The “Leadership” program was the biggest waste of my time, taking me away from projects to listen to Hosts / Instructors who never achieved anything of significance at Vz.
3. Have one IT Dept. we have had such a brain drain that most applications and enhancements now live in a black box no one knows how to fix when it breaks. Hire perm Project Managers, real PMO professionals who can guide our big projects over the line, and do so in a single platform instead of every PM deciding how they want to Run / Communicate or Document projects.

At what point do we stop hiring executives from companies that aren’t in better shape than ours? Medical Solutions never aimed to become another AMN, yet AMN is struggling too — so why are we trying to mimic their work model?

When do we stop bringing in high-salary leaders who have made no meaningful improvements in efficiency or culture? Instead of investing in tools and resources that help employees succeed, we continue cutting them while expecting staff to do more with less. It’s disheartening to see cost-saving measures repeatedly lead to disaster after disaster.

How long can this company sustain itself while hiring redundant executives, cutting essential tools, and ignoring the root issues? Nothing is improving. The leadership seems disconnected from the people who actually keep the business running — treating employees like replaceable labor instead of valued contributors.

At least under previous leadership, people wanted to work hard because they felt supported and motivated. Maybe it’s time to bring that spirit back — bring back the kind of leadership that inspired effort and loyalty, not resentment and burnout.

start trimming down the fat. all the useless directors, associate directors, “client executives”, all of these useless drones that do nothing but pat themelves on the back.

I swear to whoever the creator is these execs are d-mb as he-l. Buying cheap platforms for a big a-s org like UHC and the companies it’s bought out plus offshoring to overseas third world countries results in so many tech issues and SD and upper management want to act surprised systems are down.

We lost a couple of great teammates. Neither makes any sense if they were going based on performance, so I guess for once the leadership didn't lie. This was all about numbers.

LSEG continues with layoffs and hundreds of people have been impacted. It seems the company even took down a post about it as it’s no longer there.
It feels like another move to cut costs and make the numbers look better while the stock struggles. It’s tough to watch, especially since there are so many great and knowledgeable people here. They’re really the main reason many of us stay.
But for those who remain, the workload keeps growing, and so much valuable knowledge has already walked out the door. Who knows when the next round might come. Maybe Q1? There’s always that lingering feeling that anyone could be next and that will continue forever until …

Hang in there everyone.

Why shed all that knowledge and let go of those who knew every nook and cranny of their area? Just to replace them with cheaper offshore labor that can’t possibly bring the same level of involvement or deep understanding of the organization and its specific issues. It looks like a plain stupid move from where I stand.

The vast majority of jobs lost today are just going offshore. And some of the work will be dumped on the people who remain, flooding them even more.

Accenture keeps saying they’re firing employees who “can’t learn AI.” That’s complete bullsh-t. The truth is, they’re laying off people in the U.S. and rehiring or contracting cheaper labor in Costa Rica and Colombia.
They’re using the “AI skills” excuse to distract everyone from what’s really going on — cost-cutting and outsourcing. Now a lot of former employees are suing them for unfair and deceptive practices.
Accenture wants to look like an AI-driven company, but what they’re really doing is replacing loyal workers with cheaper ones abroad.

DAE notice recent cost cutting on fairly inexpensive things? I’ve seen sw tools licenses being cancelled + a few other things. How long til we’re drinking Folgers instant, heh?
What have you seen?

Upper management in Bloomington was just briefed this morning by Atlanta and Dallas that due to high costs, low productivity, high absenteeism, non-collaborative local union and unfavorable politics for business, the Minnesota office will be announced 12/15/25 complete closure by end of first quarter for all orgs and work groups at that premise. Facilitating ease is that the current lease shall be terminated 3/31/26 as the new property owner has other plans for the site. All union workers will receive the termination plan per contract and management employees will be advised of their severance pay. Costs need to be cut and the Minnesota location does not align with the company's plans.

What is the ROI on this and how does it align with our strategic planning?
At a time where we keep hearing about constant cost-cutting, endless WFRs, hiring freeze, and rumors of no raises, I think leadership owes us transparency on the motive and expected benefits. This really makes me sick to my stomach and I cannot be alone on this sentiment.

A coworker was reimbursed $1k every quarter to fly to our office.

That is money that could be going into BF/JF/DF pockets.

There’s talk of more layoffs coming, although the last round didn’t address the real issues and was just a quick fix to cover overspending. Cutting experienced employees with deep knowledge of the systems has created gaps that are hard to fill. The company is losing people who understood how things worked, and new hires don’t have the same level of expertise. Until leaders make real changes, it’s unclear how things will improve.

“Making employees stew over the weekend is an unforced error by incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke. Forcing employees to spend five days in agonizing uncertainty is inexcusably cruel. This first major decision by Fiddelke is a case study in corporate tone-deafness.

Under current CEO Brian ‘Brand Ki-ler’ Cornell, Target's inexplicable pandering to the Trump regime—including the rollback of Target's exemplary diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives last January—has already sent TGT stock plummeting 33%, wiping out over $20 billion in shareholder value by mid-September.

Fiddelke, Cornell's hand-picked successor, has immediately embraced the same cluelessness that further damages the Target brand. The effort to secure $600 million by eliminating 1,800 jobs is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Executing these cuts in such an unnecessarily cruel manner does absolutely nothing to dig the Target Brand out of the hole Brian Cornell put it in. It also does nothing to revitalize and cultivate the cultural and creative energy that is essential for long-term growth.”

Bob M. via LinkedIn

I liked JC, he obviously got replaced for someone cheaper.

Was there some other story there?

Investors had grown frustrated with Mark Barrenechea's ego-driven acquisitions that bloated OpenText, diluted focus, and buried the company in debt. His exit was overdue, and the board's failure to act sooner led to a loss of investor confidence. With new directors stepping in, the reset has finally begun.

Since the leadership change, the stock has rebounded roughly 13% and investor sentiment has shifted from scepticism to cautious optimism. The message is clear — the market believes a turnaround is possible.

The next CEO will have a mandate to streamline the portfolio, divest non-strategic businesses, and rebuild discipline. Expect a leaner structure, renewed focus on innovation and profitability, and tighter execution. AI-driven efficiency will help reduce costs, while those unwilling to adapt — or who feel entitled to a job rather than earning it — will be replaced.

OpenText's best days could still be ahead — smaller, sharper, and stronger than before.

Change of plan. Ford is pulling out of trying to make the F150 EV that they can't sell. Wall Street liked the announcement and Ford stock is up today. This is good for Ford.

Layoffs will start soon. Great cost reduction plan. Ford already lost $1.4 billions in Q3 for Model E.

Does anyone know?

In some orgs, not enough people took the "career transitions" package. Despite record margins and a good business environment, discussions are under way about how to (1) pay for the promotions needed to have a viable career ladder for individual contributors (2) bring in new engineers to the industry without growing the budget (3) bring WDs opex closer to Seagate's (4) pay for depreciation on capital expenditures which are needed

Where does that come from? You can just imagine.

Is that something that could happen? My mind keeps coming up with all the worst possible scenarios, and that is the one I cannot stop thinking about right now. It actually makes a bit of sense if the goal is to cut costs, since cutting payouts for those leaving would fit that goal. Please, someone tell me this has never happened.

Share price continues to decline after earnings and sales misses. Fiber deployment might be necessary for survival but its not a growth strategy. Fiber is mostly business related - with the economy slowing expect less growth or decline in fiber related revenues. Mobility sales might be a bit better with consumer segment holding up better.

There is no growth driver other than HC reduction in the near term so expect no significant increase in share price even after this sell off. The 16% share price decline since 9-15, which accounts for about four years of dividends, will not be reversed in the near future which is reflected in analyst downgrades. Given the very large decline in share prie prior to the earnings annoucement it is likely the word got out to selected individuals inside and outside the company. The share buyback program has also been a bust having little impact on the share price decline.

What does the future hold? - flat revenues, flat earnings per share, no recovery in share price, no increase in the dividend, a very slow reduction in long term debt (maybe), and a significant reduction in HC.

To be sure AT&T is a slow growth dividend stock that because of technology needs fewer employees over time but just think how much better it would be without $200 billion in long term debt, more spectrum, and better outside management. When Stephenson became CEO the share price was $39.47. When he left it was under $30. Now its under $25. Unfortunately, there is no hope of a change in top management and the BOD. No hope.

With continuing structural cost savings, what is the predicted future of our Spring Campus?

Continuous engineering cuts (yeah opex cuts) . But don't worry, the 'CPO office overhead is still comfortably expanding

Constant reduction in talent, structural cost reductions, feedback like we are going to squeeze until something breaks. How can we maximize shareholder value for the long term when we are just focused on the drive to the bottom.

stock jumps 10 pts!. every business unit did extremely well. top brass made lot of money on sold stock options past couple months and probually end of yr future bonus. Pretty sure management will still scream war on cost mantra even though the cat is out of the bag that company earnings doing well and projected earnings as well next year.

Let’s continue to pay for extra directors, extra seniors to work from home.

Then let’s talk about layoffs for the people who actually run the company.

The Comcast bloodbath has begun; knowledgeable and tenured employees are being slashed with no plan to capture or transition their knowledge. Many jobs are being cut, then re-posted with lower salaries and greater demands, or being moved to offshore sites. Severance packages are demonstrably stingier than in the past. Thanks to the "Big Beautiful Bill", Comcast has a windfall in tax breaks. Kudos to all the fools who still believe in "trickle down" economics. I wonder who Comcast. Amazon, Meta, etc. will sell to when the American working class is eliminated entirely?