5 CEOs that Truly Deserve to be Fired

John Chambers, Cisco Systems

Chambers has been the longest serving CEO on this list, having led Cisco since 1995 and won its rapid growth as corporations around the world began installing networks.  Cisco’s stock reached $70/share in 2001.  But ever since then a combination of recessions that cut corporate IT budgets and a market shift to cloud computing has left Cisco jumbling for a strategy, and growth.

Chambers emerged out well at operating Cisco as long as he was in a growth market.  But since customers bowed to cloud computing and greater use of mobile telephony networks Cisco has been incapable to innovate, launch and grow new markets for cloud storage, services or applications. Between 2001 and 2007 the stock lost half its value as it fell down to $35. Since 2007 the stock has halved again and today it’s trading at around $17.  And there is no sign of new life for Cisco as each earnings call reinforce a company lacking a strategy in a shifting market.