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Cisco’s PR Failure

I certainly am not familiar with the circumstances of Brazilian authorities’ raid on Cisco’s local offices, and am not attempting to divulge in details. What I do know is that Cisco has a PR problem. GigaOM reports based on local media:

40 people were arrested, including the current president of Cisco Brazil, Pedro Rípero, ex-President Carlos Roberto Carnevali, and two other company executives.

Brazilian authorities are seeking help from the U.S. in arresting five executives who allegedly masterminded the scheme.

Excerpt from the Cisco Press release:

Brazilian authorities visited and temporarily closed Cisco’s offices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janiero. We understand that a small number of employees have been detained.

Sorry, Cisco, but a raid by 650 policemen is not a “visit”, and when your President is arrested, you can’t hide it behind the generic reference to a “small number of employees”.

Whatever the investigation will turn out, this episode will go down the books as a failure by Cisco PR.