As a moderate Republican with ties to Democrats, he doesn't think he has much of a shot.

Mitch Wagner, Executive Editor, Light Reading

October 6, 2015

2 Min Read
Cisco's Chambers Rules Out Political Bid

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- With political outsiders running hot in the current Presidential elections, former Cisco CEO John Chambers might seem like a natural choice for a political bid himself.

Chambers, who currently serves as Cisco's executive chairman, is no stranger to politics. He co-chaired John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. So will he run himself?

"I thought about it ten years ago, but I decided not to. I love business too much," Chambers tells Light Reading. He says he would have run for state governorship, and then sought a Cabinet post. But he decided against it.

Instead, Chambers is using his role as executive chairman at Cisco to work with governments and business on using technology to change the world. "That's what I love doing," he said.

Chambers describes himself as a moderate Republican who works closely with Democrats, and noted that that particular political breed is having a tough time in the party.

Which is not to say Chambers doesn't have political views. At executive briefings with Cisco executives here Tuesday, Chambers made a short, tangential, but passionate pitch for the US to develop a national technology business policy.

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"During the 1990s this country led in the Internet age," Chambers said, crediting President Clinton -- from "the other party" -- with a leadership role, helping create value and jobs.

"We are not leading in this digital era," Chambers said. "We are not going with a policy of broadband to every American." The US needs to create an environment that feeds startups and creates a new workforce, as "every other country" has done, he said, naming the UK, Israel, Italy, China and India as examples.

"The US is behind on this one and it's something we've got to move much faster on," Chambers said.

— Mitch Wagner, Circle me on Google+ Follow me on TwitterVisit my LinkedIn profileFollow me on Facebook, West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading. Got a tip about SDN or NFV? Send it to [email protected].

About the Author(s)

Mitch Wagner

Executive Editor, Light Reading

San Diego-based Mitch Wagner is many things. As well as being "our guy" on the West Coast (of the US, not Scotland, or anywhere else with indifferent meteorological conditions), he's a husband (to his wife), dissatisfied Democrat, American (so he could be President some day), nonobservant Jew, and science fiction fan. Not necessarily in that order.

He's also one half of a special duo, along with Minnie, who is the co-habitor of the West Coast Bureau and Light Reading's primary chewer of sticks, though she is not the only one on the team who regularly munches on bark.

Wagner, whose previous positions include Editor-in-Chief at Internet Evolution and Executive Editor at InformationWeek, will be responsible for tracking and reporting on developments in Silicon Valley and other US West Coast hotspots of communications technology innovation.

Beats: Software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV), IP networking, and colored foods (such as 'green rice').

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