about the past The following year, Cisco publicly appeared to be one of the few tech companies that had avoided internal backlash over its response to the war in Gaza. Chuck Robbins, CEO of the Silicon Valley giant known for its WebEx routers, cybersecurity services and video calling, issued a statement last November acknowledging the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians.
And just two months ago, Francine Katsoudas, Cisco’s chief people, policy and purpose officer, smiled as she posed for photos with many of the company’s employee organizations, including the Palestinian one. However, this photo later became a source of major controversy within the company.
Behind the scenes, eight current employees and one former employee who spoke to WIRED allege that Cisco has marginalized its internal Palestinian advocacy groups and their hundreds of members. Throughout a turbulent period that began last July, people allege that the company has failed to quickly and adequately rein in harassment of Palestinian employees and their allies in its internal forums despite detailed complaints. They further allege that Cisco stopped an internal petition calling for limiting sales to Israel over potential human rights concerns.
“We have been attacked, harassed, sabotaged and defamed,” says João Silva Jordão, a software licensing manager in Lisbon who resigned from Cisco last month in disgust after four years at the company. “They made me believe that my humanitarian side was welcome at Cisco, but they completely let me down. It is double standards and hypocrisy.”
Meanwhile, another recent former employee, who was fired, says some Jewish Cisco workers believe the company has not adequately stopped harassment of them by Palestinian groups. This person criticized executives for not doing more to end discussions about the war between workers on both sides. “Leaders could have done things to reduce disorder across the board,” he says. “It’s sad that more hasn’t been done.”
Brian Tippens, director of inclusion and social impact at Cisco, refutes accusations of marginalization and unequal treatment. He says Cisco’s focus has been on the well-being of its 90,000 employees and apologizes to anyone who feels the company has not lived up to its humanitarian goals.
Tippens tells WIRED that Cisco doesn’t want to completely shut down what it considers political speech, but has issued what it calls Expression Guidelines amid internal unrest to encourage civility and respect.