Cisco Assigns Gen Z Employee to Rewrite 98% of Legacy Code

A young hire gets a big job

Cisco's chair and product chief, Jeetu Patel, gave Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy a major task. Krishnamurthy joined Cisco last year after Cisco bought EzDubs, a translation startup he had co-founded in 2023. He said a team of just two people could rewrite Cisco's old code. Patel gave him four weeks to prove it. The goal is to rewrite 98% of the old code within 24 months.

Key facts

• Krishnamurthy is 27 years old.
• He was given four weeks to show his idea works.
• The target is to rewrite 98% of Cisco's old code within 24 months.
• Patel gave him unlimited AI tokens, which are the units of usage that AI tools charge for.
• In a study of 8,140 AI-related job posts from S&P 500 companies, 71% were for senior roles, 16% for mid-level and 13% for entry-level.

Why companies usually pick experienced staff

Many firms trust only people with decades of experience for big projects. As AI now handles simple, repeated tasks, companies often prefer senior workers. Still, some leaders say young workers bring fresh ideas. Research also shows that hiring of young workers slowed down after late 2022, when ChatGPT was released. From late 2022 to September 2025, young workers in the jobs most hit by AI fell by 6%, while older workers in those jobs rose by 6% to 9%.

Why it matters

This story is a sign that some leaders want young workers to question old ways of working. Patel argues that companies need new people to challenge the status quo. Other firms, such as Amazon, are also hiring many young engineers. The debate is about whether AI will open doors for new workers or make it harder for them to get started.

What to watch

• Whether Krishnamurthy meets the four-week test and the 98% rewrite goal.
• Whether other big companies hire more young workers in AI roles.
• Whether the job gap between young and older workers keeps growing.
• How tension between new and experienced staff affects team work at Cisco.