# Cisco Empowers Young Engineer With Unlimited AI Tokens for Legacy Refactoring Cisco executive Jeetu Patel tasks a young engineer with rewriting legacy code using AI. - **Source:** [Slashdot](https://brifing.si/source/0f34d58e-1ccd-45a6-ab82-2de4065dc7ad) - **Published:** 2026-10-31 - **Topic:** [Software & Engineering](https://brifing.si/c/engineering) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/cbed5e30-0e8b-402c-a274-7aca4c881dae ## Strategic AI Token Allocation Cisco President Jeetu Patel has granted unlimited AI tokens to Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, a 27-year-old engineer. This initiative aims to accelerate the refactoring of Cisco's extensive legacy code base. Krishnamurthy, who joined via the 2025 acquisition of his startup EzDubs, was previously positioned five levels deep within the company's organizational hierarchy. ## Ambitious Refactoring Timeline Krishnamurthy has been given a four-week window to demonstrate the feasibility of his approach. The ultimate objective is to rewrite 98% of Cisco's legacy code within a 24-month period. He believes this massive technical undertaking can be successfully executed by a lean, two-person team, challenging traditional enterprise-scale software development methodologies. ## Challenging Organizational Status Quo Patel is actively seeking more employees who exhibit the same entrepreneurial drive as Krishnamurthy. He describes these individuals as energizer bunnies capable of challenging existing systems. This recruitment strategy focuses on finding young talent willing to disrupt established workflows, rather than adhering to the rigid structures often found in large tech corporations. ## Balanced Team Composition Strategy Cisco's current leadership strategy involves segmenting teams into three distinct groups. One-third consists of experienced operators, another third comprises systems thinkers from the external market, and the final third includes entrepreneurial founders and AI-native engineers. Patel believes this specific mix is essential for creating the synergy required for rapid innovation. ## Founder Mode Integration The inclusion of former founders and CEOs into the engineering workforce is a deliberate effort to foster a founder-mode culture. By integrating these individuals with scaled operators, Cisco aims to combine operational stability with high-velocity experimentation. This approach is designed to keep the company competitive against smaller, more agile industry rivals. ## Context of Youth Employment This move comes amid broader industry trends where entry-level roles are increasingly threatened by AI automation. While 40% of bosses report plans to reduce graduate hiring, Cisco is taking a contrarian approach. By empowering younger staff with advanced tools, the company is attempting to leverage AI for productivity rather than simple headcount reduction. ## Acquisition-Driven Talent Acquisition Krishnamurthy's path to this high-impact project began with the acquisition of EzDubs, a real-time translation startup he co-founded in 2023. Cisco's $429 billion valuation provides the resources to absorb such startups, but the internal challenge remains identifying and elevating high-potential talent that might otherwise remain buried within the massive corporate structure. ## Future Technical Transformation The success of this refactoring project will serve as a benchmark for Cisco's future technical operations. If a two-person team can successfully modernize 98% of legacy code using AI, it could fundamentally alter how the company approaches software maintenance. The outcome will likely influence how large enterprises manage their aging technical debt. ## Sources covering this story - https://developers.slashdot.org/story/26/10/30/2339234/cisco-gives-engineer-unlimited-ai-tokens-to-rewrite-legacy-code?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._