Cisco vs Morgan Stanley: Founders, CEOs and History
Cisco was founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack, Sandy Lerner and is led by Chuck Robbins. Morgan Stanley was founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan, Harold Stanley and is led by Ted Pick.
Company facts
Cisco
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California
- Current CEO
- Chuck Robbins
- Employees
- 82,400
Morgan Stanley
- Founded
- 1935
- Headquarters
- New York, New York, United States
- Current CEO
- Ted Pick
- Employees
- 83,000
Founders
Cisco
Leonard Bosack
Cisco Systems possesses one of the most famous, romanticized, and ultimately contentious founding stories in the history of Silicon Valley. The company was founded in 1984 by a husband-and-wife team, Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner.
Sandy Lerner
Sandy Lerner co-founded Cisco Systems in December 1984 with her then-husband Leonard Bosack, driven by the practical need to connect Stanford University's incompatible computer networks.
Morgan Stanley
Henry S. Morgan
Henry S. Morgan co-founded Morgan Stanley in 1935 after the Glass-Steagall Act required J.P. Morgan & Co. to separate its securities business from commercial banking.
Harold Stanley
Harold Stanley (1885-1963) co-founded Morgan Stanley in 1935 alongside Henry S. Morgan. Following the passage of the Glass-Steagall Act, which forced banks to separate commercial and investment banking, Stanley left J.P. Morgan & Co.
CEOs and their tenures
Cisco
- John Morgridge1988–1995
Former CEO and Chairman
Morgridge was Cisco's first professional CEO, recruited in 1988 by Sequoia Capital investor Don Valentine to professionalize a company still run by its engineering founders.
Source - John Chambers1995–2015
Former Chairman and CEO
Chambers led Cisco for 20 years and transformed it through over 180 acquisitions into the dominant force in enterprise networking infrastructure.
Source - Chuck Robbins2015–present
Chairman and CEO
Robbins has led Cisco's fundamental shift from hardware networking products toward recurring software and subscription revenue. The 28 billion dollar Splunk acquisition in 2024 positioned Cisco as a leading security and observability platform vendor.
Source
Morgan Stanley
- James Gorman2010–2023
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gorman's tenure moved Morgan Stanley toward recurring fee revenue. He became executive chairman after stepping down as CEO and left the board at the end of 2024.
Source - Ted Pick2024–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under Pick, Morgan Stanley reported record 2025 net revenues of $70.6B and record Q2 2026 results.
Source
Timeline: Cisco and Morgan Stanley side by side
1935Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley Founded
Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley officially launch the top investment bank following the historic Glass-Steagall split.
1984Cisco
Company Founded at Stanford University
Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner incorporate Cisco Systems in December 1984, commercializing multi-protocol router technology developed to connect Stanford's campus networks.
1986Cisco
First Commercial Router Shipped
Cisco ships its first commercial multi-protocol router, the AGS (Advanced Gateway Server), generating $1.5 million in first-year revenue as the internet begins its transition from research network to commercial infrastructure.
1990Cisco
Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ
Cisco goes public at a valuation of approximately $224 million, raising capital that would fuel its aggressive acquisition strategy. The IPO also precipitated the departure of both founders.
1995Cisco
John Chambers Becomes CEO
John Chambers takes over as CEO from John Morgridge, beginning a 20-year tenure that would see Cisco grow from $2 billion to over $47 billion in annual revenue through more than 180 acquisitions.
1996Morgan Stanley
Acquired Van Kampen American Capital
Morgan Stanley acquired Van Kampen American Capital in 1996.
1997Morgan Stanley
Merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co
Morgan Stanley merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co in February 1997.
2000Cisco
Briefly Becomes World's Most Valuable Company
Cisco's market capitalization exceeds $500 billion in March 2000, briefly surpassing Microsoft and GE as the world's most valuable company before the dot-com crash erased over $400 billion in shareholder value.
2003Cisco
Acquisition of Linksys
Cisco acquires consumer networking company Linksys for $500 million, marking its entry into the home networking market and establishing a consumer brand that would later be divested to Belkin in 2013.
2008Morgan Stanley
Bank Holding Company Conversion
Facing total catastrophic collapse, the firm converts into a traditional bank holding company to survive the global financial crisis.
2009Morgan Stanley
The Smith Barney Acquisition
then-CEO James Gorman masterminds the acquisition of Smith Barney, instantly creating a dominant retail wealth management leader.
2012Cisco
Meraki Acquisition Launches Cloud-Managed Networking
Cisco acquires cloud-managed networking startup Meraki for $1.2 billion, gaining the platform that would become central to its small-and-medium business strategy and its broader shift toward subscription-based management.
2015Cisco
Chuck Robbins Appointed CEO
Chuck Robbins succeeds John Chambers as CEO, inheriting a mandate to transform Cisco from a hardware company into a software-and-subscription platform business capable of competing in the cloud era.
2017Cisco
AppDynamics Acquisition for $3.7 Billion
Cisco acquires application performance monitoring company AppDynamics for $3.7 billion just days before its planned IPO, signaling Cisco's strategic commitment to the observability and application intelligence market.
2018Morgan Stanley
Acquired Mesa West
Morgan Stanley acquired Mesa West in March 2018.
2020Cisco
Webex Usage Surges During COVID-19 Pandemic
Webex usage explodes to over 600 million meeting participants per month during the pandemic, temporarily positioning Cisco's collaboration platform as a critical piece of global remote work infrastructure.
2020Morgan Stanley
E*TRADE Acquisition
Morgan Stanley dominates the self-directed brokerage market by acquiring E*TRADE for $13 billion.
2021Morgan Stanley
Acquired Eaton Vance
Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance for $7 billion. Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance for about $7B, completed in March 2021, adding Parametric, Calvert, and Atlanta Capital.
2024Cisco
$28 Billion Splunk Acquisition Completed
Cisco completes its largest-ever acquisition, purchasing cybersecurity and observability company Splunk for $28 billion in cash, pushing subscription revenue past 51% of total sales and establishing Cisco as a major force in security operations.
2024Morgan Stanley
Ted Pick Appointed CEO
Following a competitive internal succession, Ted Pick takes the helm to heavily drive the integration strategy.
2025Cisco
AI Infrastructure Orders Exceed $2 Billion
Cisco's AI infrastructure orders from hyperscale customers surpass $2 billion in FY2025, more than doubling management's original target and validating the company's investment in Silicon One-based networking platforms for GPU cluster interconnection.
Acquisitions
Morgan Stanley
- Eaton Vance2021$7B
- E*TRADE2020$13B
- Smith Barney2009Undisclosed
Questions about Cisco vs Morgan Stanley
Who is the CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc. is led by Chuck Robbins and Morgan Stanley is led by Ted Pick. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Cisco Systems, Inc. founded vs Morgan Stanley?
Morgan Stanley was founded in 1935 — 49 years before Cisco Systems, Inc., which was founded in 1984. Morgan Stanley's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Cisco Systems, Inc..
How many employees does Cisco Systems, Inc. have compared to Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc. employs approximately 82,400 people, while Morgan Stanley employs approximately 83,000. Morgan Stanley has the larger workforce at 83,000 employees, compared to Cisco Systems, Inc.'s 82,400. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley headquartered?
Both Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc. was founded by Leonard Bosack, Sandy Lerner. Morgan Stanley was founded by Henry S. Morgan, Harold Stanley.
Which company has a longer operating history — Cisco Systems, Inc. or Morgan Stanley?
Morgan Stanley has been operating for approximately 91 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Cisco Systems, Inc. has been in operation for around 42 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Cisco vs Morgan Stanley overview