{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Grit","title":"From Scaling Cisco to Seeding AI: John T. Chambers on Speed, Strategy, and Reinvention","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/de0593d2\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5228,"description":"John Chambers led Cisco through the rise of the internet—transforming it into the world’s most valuable company at its peak.\n\nOn this week’s Grit, the former Cisco CEO unpacks how he scaled the business from $70M to $50B+, pioneered M&A as a growth strategy with 180 acquisitions, and built what many called the best sales force in tech.\n\nNow leading his own venture firm, Chambers shares how he’s backing the next generation of AI-native startups.\n\nGuest: John T. Chambers, Former Cisco Executive Chairman & CEO, JC2 Ventures Founder & CEO\n\nChapters: \n00:00 Trailer\n00:45 Introduction\n01:45 Track record, relationships, trust\n13:21 Acquisitions every year\n17:32 Product-focused\n24:40 Family, dyslexia, and without shame\n30:46 Wang Laboratories\n35:59 Ready being CEO\n40:17 Reinventing your business\n50:08 Numbers don’t lie\n54:09 Sales calls and making mistakes\n56:20 Adapting leadership style\n1:06:32 Best leadership year ever\n1:13:35 A busy, exhausting schedule\n1:22:07 Candid with me\n1:25:21 What “grit” means to John\n1:26:43 Outro\n\nMentioned in this episode: John Doerr, OpenAI, Wang Laboratories, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple Inc., Meta Platforms, FMC Corporation, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., John Mortgage, Don Valentine, Sequoia Capital, Alcatel Mobile, Lucent Technologies, Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Inc., Rick Justice, Pankage Patel, Larry Carter, CNBC, Jim Cramer, George Kurtz, CrowdStrike, Randy Pond, Rebecca Jacoby, Mel Selcher\n\nLinks:\nConnect with John\nX\nLinkedIn\nConnect with Joubin\nX\nLinkedIn\nEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com\n\nLearn more about Kleiner Perkins","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/jCea5f44KBONhOsyLyht9nXUrj2YBNfA6fc-kgyfWTM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/Lzk3NzAvMTY2Nzg2/MjQyOC1hcnR3b3Jr/LmpwZw.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}