Is Cisco showing signs of fatigue?

By Michael Cooney
Network World Fusion, 07/24/00

It's hard to field a winning team in sports or in the fast-moving world of network companies. That's why it's so impressive when teams such as the New York Yankees in baseball or the San Francisco 49ers in football string together championship teams year after year. Economics, player defections and many of the myriad other pressures mount to keep teams from remaining together and strong for a prolonged period of time. That's why I have to wonder what's up with Cisco. Last week the company - who's financial and market share winning streak sets records every quarter - lost yet another big team player: Don Listwin. Listwin is a significant defection because he was once considered to be the successor to Cisco CEO John Chambers. There aren't too many people on that list. The prestige, money and benefits of being a CEO now, rather than waiting for Chambers to leave, proved too much of a draw to keep Listwin at the biggest, most powerful and influential network firm in the business. Then we have Selby Wellman, who decided to leave Cisco Aug. 1. Under Wellman's leadership, Cisco's Interworks business unit pummeled and outmaneuvered IBM to become the leading vendor of products that connect IBM SNA networks to IP networks. He is also credited with establishing Cisco's East Coast beachhead - bringing some 2,500 employees to Cisco's Research Triangle Park site since its opening in 1995. Wellman also heard the call of a start-up, but said he was mostly tired of all the travel and wanted to go out on top. Cisco Chief Technical Officer Judy Estrin kicked off this string of departures. Network World named her one of the "top 50 people who make a difference in enterprise networking." We said: "Estrin's technology and business prowess helps keep Cisco at a winning pace and, arguably, sets the course of the network industry in turn." How do you replace someone like that? Maybe Frank Dzubeck, president of Communications Network Architects, a Washington, D.C., consultancy, had it right when he said: "Cisco's a big company, and I don't think it runs on individuals anymore, except for Chambers." But maybe it's something else. Maybe the dynasty is showing cracks. With key players defecting at a rapid pace, can team Cisco continue repeating its successes? Stay tuned.