‘Nothing’s going to feel good now’ for workers uncomfortable with change, says Cisco CEO

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Chuck Robbins has a unique perch from which to observe American businesses and their anxieties and approaches to artificial intelligence. As chairman and CEO of the tech giant Cisco, he leads a company that’s helping AI hyperscalers build their networks. Since January 2024, he’s also served as chair of the Business Roundtable (BRT), an association for more than 200 CEOs of America’s largest and most powerful corporations—a role he’ll relinquish at the end of this year. In an interview with Modern CEO, he reflected on his accomplishments leading BRT, his role as a sounding board for fellow chief executives, and what he makes of the current calls for a slowdown in AI. Edited excerpts follow. Modern CEO: What would you say has been a capstone accomplishment during your tenure as chair of the Business Round…