At a time when artificial intelligence is fuelling concerns about shrinking entry-level opportunities, Cisco is taking a different approach to young talent. The technology giant's president, Jeetu Patel, has placed an unusual bet on a 27-year-old employee, giving him an opportunity that would typically be reserved for seasoned professionals.
The move shows why some business leaders believe younger employees can bring fresh ideas and question the way things have always been done, especially as AI changes the workplace.
How a 27-year-old landed Cisco's ambitious AI assignment
According to a Fortune report, Cisco president and chief product officer Jeetu Patel has handed the responsibility to Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Paddy.
Krishnamurthy joined Cisco in 2025 after the company acquired EzDubs, a real-time translation startup he co-founded in 2023. Despite his experience as an entrepreneur, he was working several levels below Patel in the organisation.
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The two eventually met at Cisco's San Francisco office, where Krishnamurthy proposed that he could tackle the company's legacy code with a team of just two people. The suggestion caught Patel's attention, particularly because even some of his most AI-focused colleagues had not considered the possibility.
{{/usCountry}}The two eventually met at Cisco's San Francisco office, where Krishnamurthy proposed that he could tackle the company's legacy code with a team of just two people. The suggestion caught Patel's attention, particularly because even some of his most AI-focused colleagues had not considered the possibility.
{{/usCountry}}Backing the idea, Patel gave Krishnamurthy unlimited AI tokens to work with. "I've given him unlimited tokens because he's going to refactor code," he told Fortune.
Krishnamurthy has set himself four weeks to demonstrate the approach, with the larger objective of rewriting 98% of Cisco's legacy code within 24 months. The project is an ambitious target, rather than a completed overhaul.
Why Cisco's president wants Gen Z employees to challenge veterans
Patel believes younger employees should not be restricted to routine assignments or administrative work. Instead, he wants them to question established practices and encourage experienced colleagues to reconsider how things are done.
"If you don't hire the early-in-career [workers], and you just let your workforce continue the way that they were, where do fresh ideas get injected?" he said.
He also acknowledged that placing younger employees alongside colleagues with decades of experience can create disagreements. However, he considers constructive friction useful when teams are exchanging ideas.
"Tension is good," Patel said, explaining that the objective is to challenge ideas without creating personal conflicts.
Cisco is not the only company betting on young talent
Patel's approach is not an isolated example. Other business leaders are also looking beyond conventional experience and qualifications when recruiting.
Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner has previously told Fortune that he prefers hiring people with fewer than four years of industry experience. Meanwhile, Tastewise chief executive Alon Chen believes fresh graduates can bring fewer preconceived ideas to the workplace.
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Grammy-winning musician and investor Will.i.am has also expressed interest in discovering young innovators, particularly those emerging from institutions such as MIT and Stanford.
For Patel, hiring young talent is not just about filling entry-level roles. It is about bringing in people who are willing to question how things have always been done.