GoKawiilCisco gives 27-year-old engineer unlimited AI tokens to rewrite legacy code
Cisco president Jeetu Patel has assigned Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, a 27-year-old engineer who joined via the EzDubs acquisition, to lead a two-person effort to refactor the company's legacy codebase using AI tools, with unrestricted token access. Patel has set a four-week trial period, aiming eventually to rewrite 98% of Cisco's legacy code within 24 months. Patel says he found Krishnamurthy buried several levels down the org chart doing work he considered unstrategic before elevating him.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The move signals Patel's belief that young, AI-fluent engineers can outperform traditional seniority-based structures on large technical overhauls, which could challenge how companies staff major engineering projects. It also comes amid broader concern that entry-level hiring is shrinking as AI absorbs junior work, making Patel's public bet on a young hire a notable counter-signal, though it remains unproven whether the approach will scale. Patel's stated plan to seek more 'Paddys' suggests he may use this case to justify wider organizational changes at Cisco.
- Cisco's Jeetu Patel gave a 27-year-old engineer unlimited AI tokens to refactor legacy code.
- The project aims to rewrite 98% of Cisco's legacy code within 24 months, starting with a four-week trial.
- Patel says he plans to seek out more early-career hires to challenge entrenched workflows at Cisco.
Source: fortune.com — Orianna Rosa Royle, 2026-10-30
Published there as: “Cisco gives engineer unlimited AI tokens to rewrite legacy code”
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