Robbins filled various posts at Cisco, including senior vice president of the Americas and senior vice president of Worldwide Field Operations, a role in which he led Cisco's Worldwide Sales and Partner Organizations and built out Cisco's partnership program.[3][4]
In May 2015, Cisco announced that CEO and chairman John Chambers would step down as CEO in July 2015 while remaining as chairman. Robbins, then a senior vice president, was named as his successor.[5] Mentored by Chambers, Robbins was unanimously voted in as the company's new chief executive, becoming CEO of Cisco Systems in July 2015.[6][5][7]
As CEO, Robbins became noted for accelerating the pace of Cisco's modern growth,[2][8] while disrupting outdated working modes,[9] promoting employee trust based in transparency of policy and process,[10] and humanitarian policies and workplace diversity.[11][12][13]
In 2018, as the GDPR came into effect, Robbins called for more regulation and for the tech industry to help educate regulators. In February 2019, Robbins promoted the need for comprehensive global privacy legislation, asserting privacy as “a fundamental human right."[14]
In 2019, Robbins advocated against a 15% increase on tariffs for Chinese goods.[15][16]
Robbins has advocated for corporate social responsibility.[citation needed]
In 2023, Robbins's total compensation at Cisco was $31.8 million, up 37% from the previous year and representing a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 267-to-1.[17]
In 2018, Robbins authored a statement on behalf of Business Roundtable that applauded bipartisan lawmakers working to reform immigration policies, while urging the White House “Administration to end immediately the policy of separating accompanied minors from their parents,” decrying the practice as “cruel and contrary to American values.”[22][23]
Robbins spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2016, 2017,[24] and 2018, and at the 2019 WEF annual general meeting.[25][26] As well as the 2024 annual meeting.
Robbins also serves as honorary counsel to Destination: Home, a non-profit organization devoted to ending homelessness in Santa Clara County, where Cisco's headquarters is located.[28]
