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Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel authorized 27-year-old engineer Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy, as a two-person team, to rewrite 98% of Cisco's legacy code with AI within 24 months, and provided him with an unlimited token budget. Krishnamurthy co-founded the real-time translation startup EzDubs in 2023, and joined Cisco after Cisco completed its acquisition of the company in 2025. He first set a four-week validation period for himself and secured four weeks to validate. The 98% is currently only an established goal; the report did not disclose the current volume of code modifications or the results of the trial.
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Nov 2
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Cisco gives a 27-year-old engineer an unlimited token budget, aiming to rewrite 98% of legacy code with AI within 2 years
Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel has assigned 27-year-old engineer Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy to refactor 98% of the company's legacy code using AI within 24 months, providing him with an unlimited token budget. Krishnamurthy co-founded the real-time translation startup EzDubs in 2023, and joined Cisco after the company completed its acquisition in 2025; he has set a four-week validation period for himself. The 98% figure is currently only a set goal, and the report did not disclose the current volume of code modifications or the results of the trial.
Oct 31
Solidot
Cisco gave a 27-year-old engineer unlimited tokens to rewrite legacy code
Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said the company gave 27-year-old engineer Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy unlimited tokens to rewrite legacy code. Krishnamurthy co-founded the real-time translation startup EzDubs in 2023, and joined Cisco in 2025 after the company was acquired by Cisco. He promised that a two-person team could rewrite Cisco's legacy code, secured four weeks to validate it, and the ultimate goal is to refactor 98% of Cisco's legacy code within 24 months.
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Oct 30
36Kr · AI
Cisco President Gives 27-Year-Old Former CEO Unlimited Tokens, Challenges Him to Rewrite 98% of Legacy Code in 24 Months
Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel has given 27-year-old engineer Padmanabhan Krishnamurthy (Paddy) an unlimited AI token budget to support a two-person small team in rewriting 98% of Cisco's legacy code within 24 months. Paddy has set a four-week initial validation deadline, and Cisco has not yet disclosed the proportion of code completed, the system scope, or the technical approach. Jeetu Patel also opposes companies using AI to cut fresh graduate hiring, arguing that young people should be involved in changing the way work is done from the moment they join.
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