Cisco chief found a 27-year-old ex-founder ‘buried away in the organization doing something unstrategic’—now the Gen Zer is rewriting 98% of its code

In a surprising turn of events, Cisco's president and chief product officer Jeetu Patel has entrusted a 27-year-old ex-founder, Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, with rewriting 98% of the tech giant's legacy code within 24 months. Krishnamurthy, who joined Cisco in 2025 after the company's acquisition of his real-time translation startup, EzDubs, was initially "buried away in the organization doing something unstrategic."

However, Patel recognized his potential and gave him unlimited resources to tackle the daunting task. Patel views Gen Z employees as a valuable resource, capable of challenging the status quo and injecting fresh ideas into the company. He emphasizes the importance of tension within teams, as it fosters innovative thinking. Patel also treats interns as reverse mentors, encouraging them to teach experienced staff new ways of thinking.

Other tech leaders, such as OpenAI investor Josh Kushner and Will.i.am, share Patel's enthusiasm for Gen Z talent, recognizing the potential in young, inexperienced individuals to drive future technological advancements.