Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins defends DEI at his company

The big picture: Corporate DEI has become a political flashpoint, with President Trump on Tuesday encouraging the private sector to eliminate such programs.

• He did so in an executive order that dismantled DEI policies at federal government agencies and set the stage for DEI-focused government employees to be laid off.

What Robbins said: "I think the pendulum swings a little wide in both directions. And for us, it's about finding the equilibrium ... You cannot argue with the fact that a diverse workforce is better. There's too much business value ..."

• "It's being discussed like it's a single-issue discussion, and you either believe it or you don't. And in reality, it's made up of 150 different things, and maybe seven of them got a little out of hand. I think those six or seven things are going to get solved and then you're going to be left with common sense."
• "But the core reasons that you have a diverse workforce are still there from a business perspective."

Editor's note: The story and headline have been corrected to say Chuck Robbins defended DEI and diversity at Cisco (not in general).