Rumor: Cisco's $1.5M Babies

Who's the Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) engineer who recently got a $1.5 million-a-year offer from Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR)?

More importantly, who are the other six who got similar offers?

And to top it off: What the heck kind of counter-offer made five of those seven engineers decide to stay at Cisco?

Now, we'll concede this point: It's possible our source got some signals crossed, and that the $1.5 million is the total amount offered to all seven engineers. That would average out to $214,000 each -- a nice sum, but not quite as eye-popping.

Either way, it sounds like Juniper CEO Kevin Johnson isn't kidding around. Router wars are alive and well.

— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading