Cisco has assigned an ambitious artificial intelligence project to 27-year-old employee Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Paddy. The former startup founder has received unlimited AI tokens to rewrite approximately 98 per cent of the company’s legacy code within 24 months. Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel approved the initiative after recognising Krishnamurthy’s unconventional approach to software development. The decision highlights the company’s growing confidence in artificial intelligence and young professionals. Patel believes younger employees can challenge traditional practices and introduce fresh ideas. He wants talented individuals to question existing processes rather than follow established methods without reconsideration.
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How a Young Employee Impressed Leadership
The opportunity emerged after Patel discovered that Krishnamurthy was working on responsibilities that did not fully utilise his capabilities. During a meeting at Cisco’s San Francisco office, Krishnamurthy proposed rewriting the company’s legacy code with a team of just two engineers. His suggestion immediately caught Patel’s attention because even some AI-focused teams had not considered such an approach. Patel subsequently granted him unlimited AI tokens to support the project. Krishnamurthy has reportedly given himself four weeks to demonstrate initial progress before pursuing the larger target. This experiment could help Cisco understand how AI tools can accelerate complex software development and modernisation.
Krishnamurthy joined Cisco in 2025 after the company acquired EzDubs, a real-time translation startup he co-founded in 2023. Despite his entrepreneurial experience, he initially handled responsibilities that Patel considered relatively limited. His latest assignment now gives him an opportunity to demonstrate his technical abilities on a much larger scale. The company expects artificial intelligence to help engineers examine, refactor and replace existing software code. Cisco aims to complete the ambitious transformation within two years. The project also reflects a changing approach to software engineering, where companies increasingly combine human expertise with advanced AI tools to improve productivity.
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Cisco Wants Young Employees to Challenge Traditional Thinking
Patel believes younger professionals can bring valuable perspectives to established organisations. He acknowledges that placing inexperienced employees alongside colleagues with decades of experience can sometimes create disagreements. However, he considers constructive tension important for developing better ideas. Patel also encourages interns to contribute meaningful solutions instead of performing routine administrative tasks. He described how Stanford scholarship student Baya attracted his attention during a college interaction. After requesting regular updates about her AI learning, Patel noticed her consistent efforts and offered her an internship at Cisco. During the internship, she redesigned a solution that experienced employees had struggled to improve.nt
Cisco’s experiment reflects a wider interest among technology leaders in hiring younger professionals. Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner has expressed interest in candidates with fewer than four years of industry experience. Tastewise CEO Alon Chen has also highlighted how entry-level employees can approach challenges without conventional thinking. Musician and investor Will.i.am has similarly explored opportunities involving young innovators from institutions such as MIT and Stanford. These examples highlight the growing importance of fresh perspectives in the technology industry. Cisco’s decision to give a young employee unlimited AI resources represents an interesting experiment in modern software development. Its progress could demonstrate how artificial intelligence and younger talent reshape the future of engineering.
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