Tech Unheard Jayshree Ullal: On People-Centered Leadership
Nov 20, 2025
Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO of Arista Networks, has had a remarkable journey from engineering roles at Fairchild and AMD to leading a major networking company. She delves into her early programming experiences and the challenges of integrating acquisitions at Cisco. Ullal reveals insights into her decision to join Arista when it was a small team, focusing on niche markets and innovative growth. She also discusses the significant implications of AI on infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and resilience in leadership.
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How Cisco Made M&A Work
- Cisco succeeded in M&A by identifying talent, nurturing leaders, and letting acquired teams operate with autonomy.
- That combination preserved entrepreneurial energy while scaling products into big businesses.
Two OSes, One Fast Path
- After Crescendo's acquisition, Jayshree helped build Cisco's Catalyst switching business and managed dual OS approaches like CatOS and iOS.
- Running two operating systems was a pragmatic business choice to ship faster rather than wait years for a unified solution.
Keep Strengths, Enforce Portfolio
- Preserve acquired teams' strengths while enforcing a cohesive portfolio to scale successfully.
- Let founders lead within the larger company but align on where autonomy must give way to integration.