Ciena CEO Gary Smith said that M&A is always a possibility as the company looks to build its software business while managing the growth of its optical platform sales to web-scale companies.

Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief

September 10, 2019

1 Min Read
Podcast: Ciena's CEO Sets Sail for Growth

Ciena CEO Gary Smith is trying not to sound excited.

The company's business is growing fast and it is keeping a balance between selling to web-scale Internet firms and traditional telcos. Ciena's hiring like crazy, lowballing its financial guidance and doing everything it can to seem calm while it's on track to have one of the most profitable runs in its history.

In this podcast, Smith discusses web-scale business demand, Blue Planet software growth, stock market reactions to the company's forecasts, as well as competitive concerns about Cisco and Huawei.

Enjoy this 15-minute chat with Ciena's chief and find out what he's doing to keep the momentum going (hint: he's not buying a boat).

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Phil Harvey, US Bureau Chief, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

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