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Cisco has acquired EzDubs, a startup specialising in AI-powered real-time translation technology, in a move designed to enhance its collaboration tools with seamless, multilingual video conferencing capabilities. The deal, announced on Tuesday, aims to bridge language barriers in enterprise settings, allowing users to converse naturally while avatars and voices dub in real time across over 30 languages.
Valued at an undisclosed sum—estimated by sources at around $150 million—the acquisition positions Cisco to compete more aggressively in the $50 billion unified communications market, where AI-driven features are increasingly table stakes for remote work and global teams.
EzDubs, founded in 2021 by Stanford alumni, has gained traction for its “live dubbing” platform, which uses generative AI to synchronise lip movements, tone and expressions in translated videos. The technology, powered by custom neural networks, achieves near-real-time latency under 500 milliseconds, making it suitable for live events, customer support and international broadcasts. Cisco plans to integrate EzDubs into its Webex suite, starting with a beta rollout in Q1 2026, potentially transforming how multinational firms conduct meetings without subtitles or interpreters.
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“This acquisition accelerates our vision of inclusive collaboration, where language is no longer a barrier but a bridge,” said Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins in a statement. The move comes amid surging demand for AI-enhanced comms tools, with Gartner forecasting a 25% annual growth in the sector through 2028, driven by hybrid work models and globalisation.
Technology Integration and Market Impact
EzDubs’s core innovation lies in its multimodal AI, combining speech recognition, natural language processing and generative video synthesis to create “hyper-realistic” dubs. Unlike traditional translation apps reliant on post-processing, its edge-AI deployment ensures privacy by processing data on-device where possible, complying with GDPR and CCPA standards. Early pilots with clients like Zoom rivals and media outlets demonstrated 90% user satisfaction in naturalness, far surpassing robotic alternatives.
For Cisco, the buy bolsters its $28 billion annual services revenue, particularly in sectors like finance and healthcare where accurate, context-aware translation is critical. Webex, already serving 500 million monthly users, could see a 15% uptake boost from the feature, per internal projections. The acquisition follows Cisco’s $28 billion Splunk deal earlier this year, signalling a strategy of bolt-on buys to embed AI across its portfolio.
Challenges include ethical concerns around deepfake-like avatars, which EzDubs mitigates with watermarks and consent protocols. Broader industry trends, such as OpenAI’s Whisper expansions and Google’s Live Translate, intensify competition, but Cisco’s enterprise focus—emphasising security and scalability—differentiates it.
As November’s tech mergers accelerate—from Armis’s $435 million raise to AI debt surges—this deal exemplifies how incumbents are acquiring agility to stay ahead. For businesses, it promises more fluid interactions; for innovators, a reminder that in AI’s translation race, accuracy isn’t just technical—it’s cultural.
