US Agency Finds Cisco Discriminated Against Muslim, Pro-Palestinian Staff

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has determined that technology giant Cisco violated civil rights law by failing to protect its Muslim, Arab, and pro-Palestinian employees from a hostile work environment and threats. This ruling marks the first time a federal U.S. body has held a major corporation responsible for workplace harassment related to pro-Palestinian protests following the October 7th events.

According to the EEOC's administrative investigation, Cisco's internal forums became a battleground. Employees reportedly called for Muslim workers to "stop living" and threatened to release a list of over 1,700 employees who signed a petition against the company's ties to Israel. Complainants presented a 76-page document detailing Islamophobic remarks and accused management of preferential treatment, responding swiftly to complaints from Jewish employees while delaying action on threats against others.

While this finding is not a criminal conviction or a financial penalty, it could provide a legal basis for private lawsuits against Cisco. The company, however, strongly denies the findings. Cisco stated that it thoroughly investigated all reports, removed offensive content, conducted training, and took severe disciplinary measures, including firing an employee for offensive remarks.

The article also briefly mentions a separate incident where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang received a surprise call from then-President Donald Trump during a conference in Los Angeles, noting that unexpected interactions between tech leaders and the U.S. government are not uncommon.