ALBAWABA - Cisco one of the largest tech companies in the world has doubled down on support for the IDF during Gaza War despite employee turmoil over the backing of Israel.
Cisco is often described as selling the “plumbing” of the internet – meaning the infrastructure and hardware that makes worldwide instant connection possible.
The tech giant provides the routers, servers and communications systems that move data for companies, governments and militaries around the globe.
Of those governments and militaries are Israel’s as the company has had consistent business ties with the Israeli security state for years, and the country’s intelligence contracts alone generated about $67m in business in three years, according to a 2025 document reviewed by the Guardian.
However, a recent wave of interruptions in services provided by Cisco to the Israeli government has caused Israel’s faith in Cisco to plummet, causing the company to scramble to better its image with its war-time client.
“This series of events happened during the period of war, deeply impacting customer sentiment,
"During a period of national conflict, these repeated outages severely impacted critical operations.” Warned a confidential memo drafted by Cisco and obtained by the Guardian.
The memo is part of a large trove of documents obtained by the Guardian which show that the company is going above and beyond to repair Israeli trust in its service as the Gaza War dragged on.
When asked for a comment, Cisco did not respond, the IDF however said:
“The [Israel Defense Forces] is assisted by services provided by a range of companies to meet its ongoing needs and objectives. The IDF does not intend to comment on matters relating to contracts or services provided by other entities.”
#Cisco worked to preserve and expand its Israeli military contracts during the #Gaza genocide. Leaked records expose the technology giant's role in sustaining military intelligence infrastructure.
https://t.co/iepIUkuKnX
A group of current and former Cisco workers called a ‘Bridge to Humanity’ have severely objected to the company’s role in the mass destruction and killing of civilians that is taking place in Gaza.
The group described the company’s work with Israel as “shocking and complete contradiction of values Cisco sells to us employees and externally to its customers, investors, and the public.”
They added that the company which describes itself as ethics-driven has become “an instrument of genocide”.
“Cisco has been able to skate under the radar because they sell hardware and software,” they said, adding that its business with Israeli intelligence made it “no different to an arms company that is supplying the bombs and fighter jets”.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found reasonable cause earlier this year to believe that, following Oct. 7, Cisco’s offices became a hostile workplace environment for Palestinian, Arab and Muslim employees.
The work environment was described by EEOC as being rife with racist rhetoric that violated the rights of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim employees. Cisco said it disagreed with the EEOC’s findings and that it is committed to being an equal opportunity employer.
Bridge to Humanity group further clarified that the hostile treatment was linked to to Cisco’s Israeli business interests, they said:
“While Cisco leadership was constantly dismissing our concerns about how it was enabling the horrors we were witnessing,” they wrote, “they were behind the scenes going above and beyond to actively continue to expand their business relationship with the Israeli military and ensure they did not lose a cent of business.”
Pshemaf Choiaqo is a digital marketer with a passion for media, style, and presentation.
He enjoys researching unorthodox and nonconventional subjects almost as much as he enjoys writing about them.
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