Cisco CEO warns workers who worry about change that ‘nothing’s going to feel good right now’ with AI

Many professionals are on edge as AI enters the workforce. Employers are cutting jobs, restructuring teams around the technology, and raising the bar for the skills workers need to stay competitive. Chuck Robbins, CEO of tech company Cisco, says many workers will face growing pains as they navigate this constant state of technological change. 

“If you’re an employee who is uncomfortable with a lot of change and a constant dynamic environment, nothing’s going to feel good right now,” Robbins recently told Inc. “The pace of change is too fast, too dynamic, and they’re going to have to figure out their role in this world we’re living in.”

The leader of the $415 billion company says that industry leaders are the real pacemakers of the AI era—and employees “have no choice but to at least keep up.” But Robbins also added that workers aren’t the only ones trying to keep their heads above water. An early-morning Business Roundtable meeting showed that every CEO is worried about the speed of the technology and whether they can keep up, alongside cybersecurity concerns about protecting their businesses. 

Some AI leaders like Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have recently called on companies to slow down their pace of building models. Robbins said, “When the people........

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