Cisco missed the cloud revolution. Here's how CEO Chuck Robbins is ensuring it doesn't make the same mistake with AI

"We were never going to miss one again."

When 思科 CEO Chuck Robbins talks about missing the cloud computing revolution, his voice carries the weight of a leader determined not to repeat history. As the company whose equipment routes about 85% of the world's internet traffic, Cisco couldn't afford to be late to another technological transformation. This time, with AI, they're determined to lead from the front.

"Only 13 percent of enterprises will tell you they're ready for AI," Chuck told me at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "But 85% say, 'I better have something done in the next 18 months'." It's this urgency that's driving Cisco's aggressive approach to AI transformation.

The key to staying ahead? It starts with people.

"We definitely hired differently," Chuck explains. "We're hiring more modern tech stack thinkers." But he's also hiring people who are willing to build even if they're not 100% sure they're building exactly the right solution: "We have also given people to get up on the front end of this thing and we don't know," he said. "When the team came to me with this vision for AI defense nine or 12 months ago, and then built it that quickly, we didn't really know."

This embrace of uncertainty marks a stark departure from Cisco's approach to cloud computing, where uncertainty led to denial. Now, the company is running parallel efforts in silicon design, launching AI defense solutions, and building an enterprise stack — while acknowledging they don't have all the answers.

Cisco is also trying to make sure it gets everyone to be skilled up when it comes to AI — from the top of the org, to society at large. Chuck talked to me about creating an AI bootcamp not just for his employees, but for the board of directors. "They asked for it," he says. "They want to ask more intelligent questions."

Through their Networking Academy program, Cisco educated 4.7 million students globally last year, including adults seeking reskilling opportunities. "We should do it because we're human beings, if for no other reason," he said. "I mean these people, they need hope."

"We should do it because we're human beings, if for no other reason. These people, they need hope."

The implications of AI for the workforce weigh heavily on Chuck's mind. "The thing that worries me most is the pace at which it could occur," he reflects. Unlike previous technological transitions, which allowed for gradual adaptation, AI's rapid advancement demands immediate action.

Ok, so we all need new skills, we need to be comfortable not exactly knowing how the future was going to look, we need to be adaptable. Got it. But I also wanted to know if how we work with each other —?and what it takes to get ahead — changes in this new AI world.

Chuck said that's one area where things are constant: EQ rules. "I have brilliant people and they fail miserably because they don't have an EQ," he said. "No idea. You have to be able to read and understand how people want to be communicated with."

His advice for rising leaders? Stay informed about the broader world. "When I was selling, I didn't have to care about geopolitics," he reflects. "Today, if you're engaged with a customer, you probably need to understand the potential geopolitical risk that they're thinking about and how that affects how you engage with them."

In an AI-driven world, it seems the most valuable skills might still be fundamentally human.

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On LinkedIn’s video series, This is Working, I sit down with top figures from the world of business and beyond to surface what they've learned about solving difficult problems. See more from Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole, Google CMO Lorraine Twohill, Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant, Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, former US President Barack Obama, filmmaker Spike Lee, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, cosmetics legend Bobbi Brown, F1’s Toto Wolff, and many more.