Cisco president Jeetu Patel discusses the company's AI strategy in an interview with the Financial Times' Rafe Rosner-Uddin. Once the world's most valuable company during the dotcom boom, Cisco took over 25 years to recover its share price peak. Now, the networking giant is central to the AI boom, providing infrastructure that links GPUs in data centers for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Patel, who joined in 2020 under CEO Chuck Robbins and became president and chief product officer last year, reveals Cisco has signed over $10bn in deals with hyperscalers and neoclouds this fiscal year.

Patel emphasizes that AI agents consume 450 per cent more network bandwidth than humans performing the same tasks. He describes Cisco as vertically integrated — "like Apple but for infrastructure" — making its own silicon, photonics, optics, and software. Regarding competitors like Nvidia entering optical switches, Patel rejects the old "moat" mentality, stating Cisco must earn customer admiration daily rather than lock them in. He warns against fighting megatrends, advocating for adaptation as AI transforms from chatbots to autonomous digital co-workers.