We were happy to host Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18), who serves on the House Committee of Energy and Commerce, and Board Member John Chambers for a conversation about clean and resilient energy and how the pandemic has made us alter and reimagine our impactful contribution to the economy.
Video Synopsis
[EM]POWERED COMMUNITY featuring Congresswoman Anna Eshoo & Board Member John Chambers
Video Length: 1:02:41
Talking Points:
- Introduction
- Working to Heal the Divide and Better Unite Our Nation
- Public and Private Sector Leaders Standing up For Other with Different Backgrounds
- Bloom Developments That Better Serves Our Country, Communities and Planet
- Congress Efforts for Clean, Resilient Energy
- Major Setback to Overcome
- Building Bridges With Those Who May Not Agree with Everything You Say
- Lightning Round
- Question From Bloom Employees
Speakers:
- KR Sridhar, CEO, Bloom Energy
- John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus, Cisco / CEO, JC2 Ventures
- Carl Guardino, Executive Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Policy, Bloom Energy
- Grace Soriano-Abad, VP, Talent Acquisition, Bloom Energy
- Anna Eshoo, Member of Congress at U.S. House of Representatives
Full Transcript
Introduction:
KR Sridhar:
John, you are just bringing this up. We have one employee whose mother and father, within 24 hours, passed away. And I was on the phone with them this morning, and again, he’s out here. He can’t go there. He can’t do anything. It’s just really heartbreaking.
John Chambers:
Great. Well, that’s what we found a tech net for in other groups. And Anna appreciates your support over many decades for that on the issues. Carl, your job is to get us back up and focused. We’ll obviously mention India during the discussion, but keeping us on the positive focus, I think is also.
KR Sridhar:
Key. Yes.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful. Then we will proceed. Thank you all again. Good afternoon, and welcome to our Bloom Energy, empowering communities, employee elected official town hall. We’re delighted that you are joining us for this important and timely fireside chat with our two special guests, the representative for the 18th congressional district of California. The Honorable Anna Eshoo, and a legend globally for both his business and philanthropic work, former CEO of Cisco and a member of the Bloom Energy board of directors, John Chambers. We’re delighted that you’re all with us today for this interactive dialogue with these two amazing leaders. We will mention quickly how we will have this conversation today. Our town hall will be broken into three segments. The first is I have the pleasure of asking a few questions to these two illustrious leaders. And then, the second segment will be what we lovingly call our lightning round, questions with one word to one sentence responses and no run on sentences. Then third, my favorite hearing from each of you, our Bloom Energy colleagues, with your questions in the chat box, and we will get to as many of your questions as we can. We will be good stewards with your time as always to start on time, end on time, and respect your time. It is truly now my pleasure to introduce our founder, chair, and CEO, Dr. KR Sridhar, for some opening remarks. KR.
KR Sridhar:
Carl, thank you so much. Hello everyone, good day to you. What a pleasure it is to welcome Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and our board member, John Chambers, to our virtual employee town hall. Anna, I think you remember you came to our little garage in Moffett Field, where it all started. And you got so excited with what you saw and took us over to the Stanford linear accelerator, which happened because of your leadership, and tried to figure out how you can engage us with the larger groups. We cannot thank you enough from those early interactions to today. How supportive and what a great friend, not just to the company, but about this energy transition field and where this country needs to go. In so many areas, your leadership has been amazing, so welcome to our town hall meeting.
Our employees cannot wait to hear what you have to say on so many important topics that you are leading. My dear friend and mentor John Chambers, a board member, we are so fortunate to have you. It’s not just your international business acumen. It’s not the amazing book connecting the dots that everyone should read, but your heart, your philanthropic leadership, you’re wanting to make every community, every place, every person you touch better. We are so lucky to have you as part of our family as part of the Bloom family, and as part of the Bay Area family. Having you both here and having Carl Guardino manage you both with your one sentence and run on sentences thing is going to be a fun event. I’m looking forward to it. Welcome, all.
Carl Guardino:
Dr. Shrider. Thank you and for your incredible servant leadership of our company. It’s truly a pleasure to briefly introduce a colleague who will introduce Congress member Anna Eshoo. We have a vibrant women executive network here at Bloom Energy, and Grace Soriano-Abad, a vice president on our human resources team, is part of that network that was initially launched by our executive vice president and COO, Susan Brennan. We thank Susan for her leadership informing that network. And we’ve asked Grace to introduce today our special guest on, Anna Eshoo. Grace.
Grace Soriano-Abad:
Thank you, Carl. Hello everyone. As Carl mentioned, my name’s Grace Soriano-Abad, and I’m the VP of talent acquisition at Bloom. It is my honor and pleasure to welcome Congressmember Anna Eshoo to Bloom Energy. Congresswoman Eshoo represents the California’s 18th district, which includes a large portion of Silicon Valley, including numerous cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. Congressmember Eshoo has been representing Silicon valley for more than two decades. Some, several facts, and fun facts that you may need to know about Congressmember Eshoo. First, she’s the daughter of immigrants, which is something we both have in common since I’m also a daughter of immigrants from the Philippines. Second, for many years, Congressmember Eshoo called on the US government to formally recognize the Armenian genocide that occurred in 1945. And just last month, President Biden officially recognized the massacre of Armenians in World War I as a genocide, which signaled his commitment to global human rights. Finally, in 2010, The Hill, which is a newspaper in DC, put out the list of the 50 most beautiful people on Capitol hill. And Congressmember Eshoo made that list. Congressmember Eshoo serves as chair of the health subcommittee of the powerful energy and commerce committee in the House of Representatives. The commerce committee is the longest standing committee in the history of the Congress. Please join me in welcoming Congressmember Anna Eshoo.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Thank you, Grace. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful introduction. And I appreciate it. I’m thrilled to be with all of you today, and I thank KR, I thank Carl, what a team you are. Grace, Carl KR, and the incomparable John Chamber. I’m anxious to hear from you. I hope that what I have to say today in answering questions is either a source of pride or inspiration to you. Certainly, the company is because, as Grace said or KR said, someone said I was there when Bloom was in the cradle. It was a little baby in the cradle. The spirit of Silicon Valley, the genius of America, is embedded in this company. And it’s all about our collective future. So I’m thrilled to be with all of you today. I really am. This is special
Carl Guardino:
Representative Eshoo. Thank you so much, John Chambers, you’ve been a mentor for so many years. Thank you. What an honor it is to have a conversation with the two of you with our colleague employees here at Bloom Energy. Again, three segments. We’re going to start with segment one, in which I get to ask four or five questions to two incredible people and to prove to you that I’m not picking on either of you. I will rotate who answers the question first with each.
Question One: Working to Heal the Divide and Better Unite Our Nation
John Chambers:
Can Anna get the hardest ones first, so I can think about it. And you can do the easy ones, every other one.
Carl Guardino:
I love it. Okay. Let’s get started with question one. Our country was intentionally named the United States of America. In many ways, it is now the Divided States of America. Please list one practical way in which we can individually or collectively work to heal the divide and better unite our nation. John Chambers, let’s start with you and then Congresswoman Eshoo.
John Chambers:
First, Carl, I want to thank you very much for allowing me to be part of this team. KR, your leadership’s been amazing. Anna is my favorite member of Congress and has been for decades. I got to know her when we were both teenagers clearly. On that, but you are my hero for that, if you were just a moderate Republican, you would be perfect in terms of the future, but I don’t know how else to say it other than she’s somebody I trust completely. We agreed 95% of the time on the key issues of space related to technology and growth and putting the country first. Carl, as you know, I tend to be a dreamer but make dreams come true in terms of a plan behind it. And I learned a long time ago, whether it’s talking to Sandy Weill at Citicorp or Jack Welch at GE or government leaders, both Democrats and Republicans from Bill Clinton, to George Bush, to President Obama, et cetera.
The way to bring a country together is to have a common shared vision that the vast majority of people can agree with. If you try to implement a vision that almost you divides us every time, then it’s hard to bring the country together. I think the practical way to do it, and it’s being done by some of our counterparts, that might shock you is to outline a vision for the US as the leader in the new digital world. Anna, much like we’ve done before, where the internet change the world, then digitization changes it, et cetera. Within that, to outline a digital plan at the heart of witches startups because that’s where all job creation will come. With 50 states become in startup states to talk about how this brings all of us together and increases the average household income by an audacious goal, perhaps 20% or more over the next decade, and then to have models and try different approaches to make it happen.
And to ask every member, both of Congress, the business community, to say before you make a decision on something, understand the implication on inclusion and this startup vision for our country. I think we’re losing our leadership in this category, and I think we’re losing it in part because we’re divided, but there’s nothing like outlining a vision that people can get excited about. That can be implemented that you can find, let’s say, 70% of people on both sides of both the states and the aisle can agree with and let’s go hit some home runs together rather than pull us further apart. I want us to dream bigger. Do what France did. France was the worst place in the world to do startups and business, President Macron and President Hollande before him. Reversed that, and I was honored to be their, their wing person in their digital digitization of their country and their startup country. Now, they’re the best place in Europe. Startups are up 500%. Modi has done the same thing in India with a digital India across 29 states. Each of them have much more challenges than we have in this country, but they’re executing well. I’d like to see us do that as a country and take it as an objective.
Carl Guardino:
What a great combination of vision and practicality. Thank you, John representative Eshoo, same question.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, thank you, Carl. I think I would’ve been better off if I answered first, so I wouldn’t have to be compared with John’s superb response. There is, let me put it this way. I think that we have, we’re all somewhat guilty of having taken our democracy for granted.
John Chambers:
I agree.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Our democracy is something, and I know that I’m preaching to the choir. I don’t know how many of you have ever traveled to Normandy, but you really are never the same after you experience that because there are brothers that are buried next to each other. There are fathers and sons buried next to each other. Notice I said plural. Imagine that kind of a loss in a family. And the average age was about 18 years old. They fought, they went into what they knew could very well take their lives, and they were willing to give it for our country. What is the most disturbing to me about this divide? First of all, really robust debate is part of democracy. We should never be fearful of that or set it aside. That’s very healthy.
That’s part of what, that’s what a democracy embraces, but when we can’t agree on facts, common facts on science, then we have a real problem. I can’t help but think that many of our elected officials, perhaps including myself, I’d include myself in it, that we need others to be the validators of our democracy. Those that are individuals like John, Colin Powell leaders of young organizations in our country coming together and really speaking directly to the American people because if we don’t hold up and make investments in our institutions that are the pillars of our democracy, then our democracy, our constitution, everything that we are is not going to be able to succeed. And like John, I’m an optimist. I wouldn’t be able to do this work unless I was an optimist.
But I believe my father used to say that America is the best idea that was ever born. So, you know, we all have a stake in this. You don’t have to be elected to do things. I do think that locally there could be community teams that come together to examine what can be done in a community to strengthen our institutions. We all have that responsibility, so if I’m disappointing you because I don’t have a silver bullet that is going to take care of all of this, I don’t, and if somebody does, I really want to hear it. But more than anything else, I think we all have a stake in it. I think in the Congress that this whole business of ad hominem attacks on people that you don’t agree with really diminishes our debate it’s wrong.
It divides people even more. And you know what, sometimes it’s tough to keep quiet because there are some fairly outrageous things that are said, but I stay away from that. I think we have another segment where what do we do ourselves? I think we all bear responsibility of how we conduct ourselves each one of us. And I think that acts of kindness go a very long way, but we have to really be thinking much harder about how we protect our democracy. I do think that some of our social media platforms have damaged our democracy, and that may be an unpopular view. But I look at John Chambers, and his example as a corporate leader is totally unblemished, totally unblemished because of his character, his values, and I more than applaud that. What he has done as a leader has really strengthened our democracy in so many ways. So that’s, what’s really very much on my mind, and I would love some feedback to that.
John Chambers:
I’ll give you some quick feedback if it’s all right, Carl. Along with John Doerr, we founded TechNet 25 years ago, and you and Nancy always listened to us but so did the Republicans as well. And a common view of just values, just do the right thing, do what’s right for the majority of America, not right for our constituency, et cetera. And while I’m proud of a lot of what technology’s done over the years, as you saw during the nineties in the early two thousand, we had no issue in Washington, in Europe, in China, that’s or Russia, even after Snowden-type issues. And I think it’s important that the most powerful tech companies, which are the most powerful the world by definition, balance very much the economic return and what the benefits to society are. And they have to find a way to meet the legitimate needs of government and citizens halfway there.
As many of the leaders in Washington, yourself included, told us three and four years ago, if we didn’t change, regulation would come, and so would antitrust, and you have to get your act together where it will be forced upon you. The decisions won’t be as good as you could have made if you controlled your destiny. But I’m a huge believer in technology and government keeping reasonable arms length versus the technology. This is something I think the big tech companies needed to do better. And, when they didn’t, I think there will be implications with it. Now, hopefully, we’ll learn from our mistakes. It’s not that complicated. We’re leading in the world in technology at the startups, such as Bloom and the very big companies. And we need to just get our collective trust because our currency is nothing more than track, record relationships and trust back together with Washington, the Democrats, and the Republicans, and ourselves, and be able to talk among ourselves to solve those issues. As we saw with the vaccine, when this country gets focused on something, we can do it at a speed that no one else can. And ten years to do a vaccine didn’t less than one. I agree with Anna, with you completely. And I encourage you to always be as candid with us as you just were.
Question Two: Public and Private Sector Leaders Standing up For Others with Different Backgrounds
Carl Guardino:
And I will build on something that John Chambers started with. And that was about how we agree overwhelmingly about 95% of the time. And I was glad you picked that percent as I’ve often lived by what I call a ninety-five, five principle. And that’s the firm belief that we usually do agree as diverse as we are about 95% of the time. We may stridently disagree about 5% of the time, but if we can set aside that 5% and focus on the 95%, where we can bring people together and solve real problems will be a better community and a better country. Representative Eshoo, I’d like to come to you with our second question, we have witnessed a rise in hate crimes that seem to be growing across our country against neighbors who are Asian, Black, Latino, and other diverse groups. What steps are being taken by public and private sector leaders to stand up for others who may have ethnic, cultural, religious, or other backgrounds different than our own?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, thank you, Carl. I always think in the following way that our diversity is our strength and that our unity regarding all those issues is really our power. Now, we have so sadly our witnessing undergoing really hate crimes assaults against the Asian American community. I would say to all of the employees that are listening in we are really blessed with a with a large vital Asian American community, but there are some very dark chapters in American history relative to Asian Americans. We had the Chinese exclusion act. We interned Japanese Americans during World War II. It’s a very long list. In fact, I saw a documentary on PBS maybe a couple of weeks ago, and I was not aware of many of the things that had taken place. The burning of Chinatown in Los Angeles and how many lives were lost, that was in the 1950s.
So what are we doing about this? We also have the whole issue of policing and the African-American community. These are enormous challenges, but I believe that with every challenge, there is an opportunity. There’s an opportunity for America to address the wrongs and make things right. On the relative to the Asian American community, we’ve taken up legislation to really improve the language relative to hate crimes. Not very strong, so there has to be strong enforcement. Now, people say to me, well, what law doesn’t always cover everything well, that’s true. But if you have not only tough enforcement but language that describes very clearly what a hate crime is we can much better address it when it comes to policing we were all relieved with the result of the trial.
But relief is not good enough, we need reforms. I am so encouraged by the National Police Chief’s Association, working with us in Congress both sides of the aisle. They know that these reforms need to be put in place. The house has passed. Now, it’s up to the Senate. We’re working very hard on these things, and they really need to be bipartisan because when they are the American people have more confidence and it really gives them the green light that it’s not just one way or the highway. We’re working hard to address these. These are in many ways old wounds or old sins on the soul of America. And I think that a great country can be termed to great country when we’re willing to address the wrongs our mistakes, just as we have in the past. Now, sometimes it takes a decade. Some it, sometimes it takes 50 years. Sometimes it takes a hundred years, but when we are good enough, then we become great enough when we acknowledge the wrongs. And we’ve done it before, and we’re going to do it again.
Carl Guardino:
Congressmember Eshoo, thank you. John Chambers.
John Chambers:
Many years ago, an individual by the name of Shimon Peres, who was the late President of Israel, and I think one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life. Said to me that John, as a corporate leader or as he group of startups working together, you can accomplish far more than can political leaders can at times because you have the staying power, you have the ability to be pretty decisive when appropriate, et cetera. I think companies have to set an equal example or more about how do you create an inclusive society where there is no tolerance of not treating everybody equal. It isn’t very complex to do that. You can use an example like Cisco, where I knew every illness of every employee, 75,000 people spouses, their children, their parents, and we were there for them like no one else.
And it didn’t matter what your title was, your gender, your religion, your color of your skin. Unbelievably powerful in terms of its implementation. And it was that type of trust that allowed us to be effective when there were major catastrophes, whether it was Katrina in the south, the Southern part of our country. Or the terrible earthquakes that went on in China and where the high tech community actually led the way at the requests of the administration to help our friends in need. And by the way, the Chinese could have done it on their own, but they realized by working together, you break down those barriers, the stereotypes on it. I think we’re seeing that now with COVID to Anna’s comments earlier about how do we come together and lead by example of helping our peers, our friends in India that are in tremendous need now, and to do it across the whole country, across party lines, across geographies, et cetera. And to do things that normally be very difficult to do.
And India’s strategic partnership forum I’m the chairman of it, and KR has been an active member for many years. We’re saying, how do you get oxygen cylinders there and Bloom, a tremendous call out to you all, you took the concept that you did with ventilators that split in the ventilator with splitters into four pieces. The Indians don’t need ventilators now, they need the oxygen containers, and you all have done the same technology innovation wise to take a single oxygen container and spread it among four recipients. And so it is that American innovation and putting aside our culture and our gender and religious backgrounds to dream very big on what is capable and to really make that happen. I think the ball needs to be on the corporations equally as much to lead by example. We had three females on our board of directors before anybody even said, you need one.
And it wasn’t because they said you need a female. It was just it was the right way to run our business. And that’s where we found the town as well. Last comment on this, just as a proof point, when you have diverse teams, you always know how to execute teams that look alike. Out of my startups of which I get the pick of the litter, KR, it’s not necessarily fair, but I get to pick and honor to be an investor in Bloom. And I get anywhere in the world, but out of my startups, over 60% of the founders are first or second generation immigrants to our country. And if you will, staffs from India, et cetera on it. And we’re stronger because of that. And we build more diverse teams. I think this is where companies can lead by example, rather than saying to Anna and others in Washington, this is what we want you to do. We ought to lead by example ourselves and then say, how do we achieve it together? Because that’s where you begin to get in the end, candidly, it’s about jobs and inclusion and standard living. If together, we can bring it together, make it inclusive, geography, religion, color of skin, and then not to tolerate when people do not. That’s culture, our culture should be unaccepting when people treat other people in a way that is not part of our values as business leaders.
Question Three: Bloom Developments That Better Serves Our Country, Communities and Planet
Carl Guardino:
John, thank you. Let’s discuss the need for clean, resilient energy in our communities and across our country. Whether it’s wildfires that set 4.1 million acres, a blaze in California last year alone, or the February freeze that left 13 million Texans, fellow Americans in the dark, literally, for hours or days. Or hurricane Elsa, that it impacted 2 million residents last July along our Eastern seaboard. These extreme weather events underscore the need for clean, reliable, resilient energy. Let’s start with John Chambers as a board member of Bloom Energy. What are the two or three top value propositions Bloom is developing that can better serve our country, our communities, and our planet?
John Chambers:
Well, I think Carl, you always start with what is the major market transition going on, what our new technologies enabling that market transition to accelerate, much like the internet did with companies like Amazon, et cetera. Much like Cloud did with the changes that occurred in the major hyper cloud players, the biggest trend going on right now is new forms of energy that damage the world much less than the current forms. I’ve read an article, I think it was the Wall Street Journal last night that talked about how China’s putting out more emissions than all the other countries, emerging countries in the world combined are. You’ve got to think about how do we do this differently and yet give people a chance to have an economic future and to say, how do you do both? The thing that attracted me to Bloom after my tremendous belief in KR as a leader, and I’ve been on the leader first, then the market transition. Was Euro’s vision of being able to have resilience to be able to do it in an environmentally friendly and maybe over time with almost zero emissions. To do this in an architecture where just like computing, where everything in the clouds is going to move to the edge and all the internet of things, 75% of the comput is going to happen on the edge.
And the device is connected there. Never go back to central it has to be same on the technology and the security that goes with it. Bloom offers this opportunity, and Anna, one of the things that we still struggle with is how do we take this and not get caught in a partisan divide about is this about fossil fuel or not. The answer is it’s about zero emissions, and it’s about resiliency and up all the time in saving lives. Last comment on that I think it’s so important whether, you’re in Texas or in California, that you don’t spend 95% of your money in the disaster. You spend 90% of your money presenting the preventing the disaster and preparing for the future, which has dramatically higher efficiencies.
Congress Efforts for Clean, Resilient Energy
Carl Guardino:
Thank you, John Chambers. Congressmember Eshoo, what an exciting time to be in Washington, DC in key leadership roles like you have. The American jobs plan, the green act that the house passed last year, the infrastructure bills that are going through Congress, Speaker Pelosi’s call for those infrastructure bills to be completed before the independence day recess. How are you and your colleagues championing clean, resilient energy in any measures that will be coming through the house?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, it’s a great question, and it is very exciting because this is really about our collective future, and we need to seize what is already out there in terms of innovation. Bloom Energy is a superb example, so we’re not daydreaming and hoping that we can do something that would motivate new efforts being born. They are out there, and it is really one of the standout areas in our region in terms of clean energy. We know that clean energy is critical to our efforts to address climate change, so that’s our challenge. I think that it’s exciting that we have a new administration that knows that we need to transition the grid to 100% clean energy by 2035.
That’s the goal of the administration. Now, Carl, you mentioned some of the things that we’ve done last December we had what’s called an omnibus. That means big, that’s like an all encompassing bill we passed in last December. KR, I think, is the father, the daddy of the extension of tax credits. But they’re very important because our tax code can motivate the outcomes that we’re looking for. Investment follows those motivational factors that we place in the tax code. That investment tax credit for fuel cells was extended for two years. Projects are eligible for the full credit through 2022, and it phases down starting in 2023. We have something that is motivational to produce the outcomes that we’re looking for. Now, Carl, you mentioned what was done with Mike Thompson, for those of you in the audience, he represents the Napa Valley.
Anyone ever want good, great advice about great wines? Mike Thompson is always at the ready to give you that information. But that legislation creates a resiliency standard to ensure that the grid can withstand extreme weather events. As you said, Carl, from wildfires in California to the winter storms in Texas. Our grid system in the United States of America is in, you know, what, it’s from another era, just the way our water systems are. I mean, we have water systems in the country that are brick and wood. They’re about a hundred years old. We have water systems that pass through lead pipes, and they have poisoned entire communities. So, you know what, wake up America, get going. This is important as important to interstate commerce. I think that we have to erase the notion that if you care about climate change if you care about making this progress, that it’s going to hurt people economically.
There are, and I think that it’s really proven in the forecast. It’s been studied to death that there are enormous jobs to be that would come as a result of the changes that we want to make in these legislative efforts. I always say if you’re bored with what I’m saying with talking about legislation, always know that the words in the bills walk into people’s lives. They may be boring to read. They may be boring to read, but it could create even more business for Bloom, more jobs, more employment, better outcomes, and that we upgrade the rest, including grade separations. Carl, through the infrastructure bill many constituents have said to me that’s a bit large price tag. You know what? We’re a large country. We have let a lot of this go. If you don’t keep your home up, you know that it’s going to cost you more. This is about thinking big for our collective future. I think we can’t we cannot afford to follow a pathway where we don’t do it. These are smart investments, and they’re good for every community in the country. You can tell them I’m excited about it. And we’re investing a lot in clean energy and to modernize the grid.
Question Four: Major Setback to Overcome
Carl Guardino:
Representative Eshoo, thank you. And we wish you not only the best, but we’re there to work with you to make sure it it the best. John Chambers in your book Connecting The Dots, you reference a story of a conversation you had with Jack Welch, then CEO of GE. When Cisco was already one of the most valuable companies in the world. And you said, Jack, what does it take to have a great company? Jack replied, it takes a major setback and overcoming that setback. John, let’s start with you, please share a personal or professional major setback and how you overcame it.
John Chambers:
None of us like to talk about our mistakes, our failures, or where we just missed an opportunity. But as Anna said earlier, it’s so important to deal with those equally as open as you do the successes. We talked earlier, I was fortunate enough to be in the right company at the right time. And we did a lot of things right, and then we created 10,000 billionaires at a time that most people did not share the success of their company with their employees on it. We won every corporate social responsibility award there was. We were the most valuable company in the world. We could do no wrong, including when they start to write about you. That’s an indication of problems coming. But I am a believer you’re more product of your setbacks and how you came through those or not than your successes.
I’m dyslexic. I would argue that it tremendously challenged me early in life, but learning how to adjust to it actually took what was a weakness and eventually made it a strength, even though it’s still very painful, even today. Jack Welch was simple. We were on our way to be the most valuable company. GE was steadiness more than they did any other company in history. They benchmarked everybody about what you’re doing right, and how do they learn from it? And Jack said, John, you got a good company. I bit, and I said, what does it take to have a great company? And he said, and near death experience. He said, until you go through that as a leader, until you go through that as a company, you take things for granted. You don’t change as much.
You don’t develop that inner core of strength, but humility, and I did, and in 2000. At the end of 2000, and our business was growing at 70% year over year, we’d never missed a forecast in the market. We were knowing it et cetera. First week in December, I was growing at 70%, and so I confirmed to the market that we grow 35% the next quarter. We’d never grown in less than 50%. It was a slam dunker, so I thought. In 45 days we were minus 35% growth rates, mathematically impossible. 25% of our customers disappeared, billion dollar companies. I wasn’t listening. The stock market had already indicated it, but my forecasting techniques, which had been so good and never missed in 40 quarters, never missed in 40 quarters. I kept doing the same thing right too long.
When that happened I took a tour around the world in two weeks, came back and said, we have to change, there was a hundred year flood coming. I wish I hadn’t used those words. This is before any other company stepped up to it. And I took our company a different direction. One that was very painful, I laid off 5,760 people. These were my family, I hired every one of them but it was about survival. And I had doubts in the middle of the night about, was I the right one to lead? And, boy, this is so painful. How could I have missed it? But it happened to everybody else. That’s not an excuse, but we came through it quicker than anyone. We drove through the end results and we became even stronger coming out the back end, even though it was very painful.
Learning from that mistake was huge. I believe making mistakes as part of life or as kids, we always experiment and we fall down, we get back up. You have two as business leaders or government leaders as well, but just don’t make the same one twice. Jack Welch called me up at the end of 2001. And he said, John, you now have a great company. And I said, Jack, nobody likes me, I’m not sure I could even win a 50% vote on it, even among employees at this time. They’re having doubts about my ability to lead, and he said, no, John, I watched you, this was your best year ever. I said, you may be right Jack. I don’t think so, but you’ll be the only person that ever tells me that, and by the way, he was. However, when the great recession came in 2008, I saw it in 2007.
I didn’t keep doing business the same way we adjusted and we powered through it and we gave back the automotive companies of the time that no other high tech company would, and built tight relationships. I think you’re more a product of your setbacks and how you handle those. You always will wish, and second guess yourself about should you have seen it coming. My parents were both doctors. They taught me early on, looking back, does very little good, just learn from it and dealt with life the way it is. How each of us handle setbacks in our kids’ lives, our lives, our family, our businesses, I think determines who you are.
Carl Guardino:
John, thanks for your transparency and your humility. So many lessons there. Representative Eshoo, same question, whether it’s a personal or a professional setback, what did you learn from that experience?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Thank you, Carl. And John, thank you for your wonderful honesty. It’s such a mark of a incredible human being we always learn from you. I would say well, we’ve all things have gone sideways for all of us. We’ve all experienced disappointments. I would use the example of, of my candidacy. I can’t remember what year it was now but for all of the audience we all serve on committees in Congress. There was an opportunity when the chairman of the house energy and commerce committee, it is one of the most powerful committees in Congress. I mean, it deals with just about everything. On the democratic side, they place a great deal of emphasis on seniority. The next most senior member of course was running.
Then my friends both outside the Congress and inside the Congress said, we think you have a lot to offer. We think you should run. So I did. And for some, it really bothered them that I had the nerve that I didn’t have as much seniority. These are like three and a half years. These are not major things, but they are to some people at any rate, it was a year long effort. Every day, every night, I mean, I was working to get votes, a very small universe of votes. It’s the democratic caucus. All you needed was the, was the majority of that. After a year long effort, so many people here at home helping us, so many members helping I lost. And, it was hard. It was hard. John Chambers knows that because when he called me early that evening, I cried.
And I said, John, I feel like I have failed you. And John said to me, Anna, you would have failed me if you weren’t willing to take the risk and run. We think that we’re not going to be able to get through these things again, their challenges. I had a lot of things going on inside of me for some time. But you get back up, you have to dust yourself off. We’re not all going to get our own way. There are still hundreds of ways for each one of us to do better, to contribute. In my wheelhouse, in some ways, in many ways it was liberating. It was liberating. You know, I’ve been there, I’ve done that, demonstrated my credentials served in the Congress. And I have more bills than almost any other member, signed into law by four presidents.
Now I’m going for five presidents and I don’t take no for an answer and I know how to work with people. Maybe it took that experience to give me another level of confidence perhaps, but it does hurt to lose. There’s no doubt but we have to be risk takers, not fools and get out in the middle of the road where the traffic is. But John really taught me that lesson in the words that he said that night, and I was crying very hard on the phone and I could cry now thinking about it. I want you to know that. You know what, there’s a difference between losing and being a loser. Everybody doesn’t win all the time. Doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. I share that experience with you. I hope it speaks to you in some way.
Question Five: Building Bridges With Those Who May Not Agree with Everything You Say
Carl Guardino:
Thank you both for being so open, so honest, so transparent. This is so rich that we’re going to move along. I want to get to our lightning round and to our colleagues at Bloom to ask their questions. There are already some great ones in the chat box. My last question, before the lightning round, I’m going to ask that each of you in two sentences respond to this question, and I apologized that we don’t have time for more depth. But this is also from John’s book, Connecting The Dots. In presentations and speeches, John you’ve often said, if you agree with everything I’ve said, then I have failed. Congresswoman Eshoo let’s start with you, in just one or two sentences. How do you build bridges with people you may not agree with who may not agree with everything you say?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Get to know them, their family, how they got to Congress. Do they have siblings? What was the most exciting day of their life? Whatever it may be, politics is personal.
Carl Guardino:
Such a great point. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said, I don’t like that person very much, I need to get to know them.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
That’s right. Yeah.
Carl Guardino:
Wow. John Chambers, same question.
John Chambers:
I think Anna nailed it. I’m a believer you get to know people and you find your common areas where you can agree that 95% curl that you and Anne and I talked about earlier.Don’t try to convince them on the last 5%, you’re not going to do it. You’re wasting everybody’s timing. All you do is upset people on both sides. And so even with a competitor like Huawei to Cisco I understood Ren Zhengfei well. We had it in issues on patent reform and we caught them with our patents and we could have made it pretty ugly in the press, et cetera. We chose not to I got on a plane and flew to their headquarters and sat down with him. We talked through the issues he gave me commitments that it would not happen again. And we went out and talked to his engineers and employees, and we found there were areas that we could agree upon. And some, we never would, and we never had issues at least while I was CEO with them after that. Getting to know people, even when you disagree on some very fundamental things, it’s amazing when you can get together on commonality. I liked Anna Eshoo, and I would just draft right behind her with Anna’s comment on it.
Lightning Round
Carl Guardino:
Excellent. We’re going to move in again to what we lovingly call our lightning round, and we will rotate back and forth with the quick question. One word to one sentence responses. John Chambers will start with, you book or magazine that is currently on your nightstand?
John Chambers:
Shimon Peres wrote a book called No Room for Small Dreams. He was a dreamer. I think I am. He told me I was dreaming too small at times. It was a great book to learn from.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful, Anna Eshoo, same question, book magazine on your nightstand?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
The book that’s sitting on my nightstand, and I read the first few pages last night, is entitled Science, The Endless Frontier. It’s a small book, but it’s an important one.
Carl Guardino:
And Congressmember Eshoo, we want to let you know that we will be sending to you two books that have been on my nightstand, Connecting The Dots. Of course from your friend, John Chambers, and also Measure What Matters from your friend, John Doerr.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Yes. Thank you.
Carl Guardino:
Our second lightning round question, we’ll start with Representative Eshoo. Favorite movie of all time?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, it’s a hard one because I have more than one, but I think that, Moonstruck is still an all time favorite. And we just lost the great actor Olympia Dukakis. Her performance in that movie, I think she was nominated for an Emmy. I can’t remember if she wanted or not for supporting actress, but I love that movie. Makes me laugh. Makes me cry. Very human.
Carl Guardino:
Thank you, John Chambers. Favorite movie of all time?
John Chambers:
Well, I’m going to pick two. I like the Castaway mainly because I like Tom Hanks as an actor. And I think it was one of the best acting movies where it was literally one person in the whole movie. His realm of putting on weight and dropping weight and everything else and his best friend being a soccer ball. I mean, that was tremendous acting. But to be transparent, I’ve got a lot of little kids still in me. I hope I don’t lose that, so it’d be the Indiana Jones series, and Radiers of the Lost Ark, probably is what I enjoy the most.
Carl Guardino:
Love it. Thank you, lightning round question three, starting with John Chambers. A positive lesson that you learned from one or both of your parents. In one sentence.
John Chambers:
I learned that it’s the opening line, storing the book about drowned in the river. And my dad, when I fell in yelled at me to hold onto the fishing pole, as I was getting shelac through the rapids could have drowned. Somebody did about 10 years later in the exact spot, that was much older than me. I was six years old and he said, hold onto the pole. He came running down the side and pulled me out of the water. And he taught me during times of crisis you’ve got to remain calm. No matter how fast your hearts beating and learn how to go with the current until you can work your way out and solve your problems.
Carl Guardino:
John, thank you. Representative Eshoo.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, when I think of my parents the first thing that comes to mind at first of all, they’re both in heaven. Is that my parents were masters of the following? They knew how to love, well, they knew how to love well. That includes so many ingredients, but that’s the way I think of mom and dad. I don’t think I am as good as they were but they certainly gave that teaching to myself, my brother and my sister.
Carl Guardino:
Representative Eshoo, our next lightning round question is for you. And I’m skipping down a bit to get to questions from our colleagues at Bloom. If you are entertaining an out-of-state guest for that person’s first visit to California. List three places, bullet points, no other description, three places that you absolutely want to take them.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
The majestic California coast, the majestic California coast. The Redwood Forest that’s north of us, because most people have not experienced redwoods. And Stanford University.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful, John Chambers.
John Chambers:
Similar answer, Carmel Valley. I love Carmel, but down there, but it’s the coast. Stanford, in terms of it being entrepreneurship and the heart of Silicon valley. And then the Tahoe, where it’s such a beautiful segment, but very similar answers. Anna is always interesting enough.
Carl Guardino:
John Chambers, our last lightning round question. An expression or quote that inspires you?
John Chambers:
I think it’s dream big and then implement the dreams through your own ability to execute. So I’d say dream big and then have a replicatable playbook that allows you to execute with speed.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful, Representative Eshoo.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
I don’t have it right in front of me, but it’s Eleanor Roosevelt said whatever it is that you’re afraid of doing it.
Questions From Bloom Employees
Carl Guardino:
Wow. What a beautiful, beautiful quote. We’re going to go to great questions in the chat box from some of our fellow Bloomsters. This one is from Connor Gordon, who writes Representative Eshoo what are the best ways for us as Bloom employees, and community members to help spread energy literacy to both our fellow community members and our elected leaders?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Well, maybe we should do some town hall meetings together with constituents. I’ve had doctors from Stanford on telephone town hall meetings throughout the pandemic because so many of the questions from constituents are related to medicine, and a doctor is a trusted source. I think it would be a wonderful idea to have an energy expert on a town hall meeting. We get anywhere from 1,800 to 5,000 people that dial in for our town hall meetings that I do in every single community throughout the district on a consistent basis every week. So there’s an idea.
Carl Guardino:
That outreach is amazing that you do with your constituents, that offer an opportunity is wonderful. I see Dr. Schreder looking quite pensive with his hand on his chin, so we will follow up on that opportunity.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Good, wonderful.
Carl Guardino:
The next question I just love from colleague Tony Herba Ajo, what purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months or in recent memory? Representative Eshoo.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
I think flowers that I received from someone.
Carl Guardino:
Ah, how nice.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
I think flowers. It was not only the note that accompanied them but they weren’t cut flowers. It was a plant and so that lives on. Every time I water it, take care of it, look at it.The thought of that person and their sentiments and their expressions to me they continue it’s absolutely wonderful.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful. John Chambers, same question purchase of a hundred or less.
John Chambers:
It was a fishing rod for my son. He and I loved to fish together, and it shouldn’t surprise you on that. You have different weight fly rods. We bought a given weight fly rod that he did not have and the joy that it brought to his life. And then the ability to share that with him you and I got back more than I gave.
Carl Guardino:
Wonderful. Another question from Regin Mala was put into the chat box before we got to it in our earlier questions. And that’s just the concern of Bloom Energy employees about the systemic racism that continues in our country. Especially with communities of color such as our Asian American, Pacific Islander community. Is there anything either of you like to add to your earlier responses?
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
No, I would say that take heart in the following. There is an outpouring in our region and in other places manifesting itself in the rallies, in communities. These are my first public appearances because we’ve all been had to stay home during the pandemic, but it really is a source of inspiration to me. We have communities of, of real conscience and they’re committed to the change. They know how hurtful this is, but they have they’re demanding and that’s very important. They’re demanding another standard. What they’re saying is not here, not in our community, not in our region, not in California, Not in America. That’s the way our democracy works. I’m heartened by that, so we have a real region and communities of conscience. So take heart. It really means it says everything to me. I’m very proud of it.
Carl Guardino:
Representative Eshoo, John Chambers, how blessed we are to have you in our communities. Leading our country and our globe. Dr. KR Srider, if you wouldn’t mind taking yourself off of mute with any closing comments before we let these busy leaders and our busy colleagues move on with their day.
KR Sridhar:
You know, one of the big blessings for all of us is the leaders who represent us. John, in the field of business commerce, using business and commerce for doing good, not just in your local community, but worldwide setting a vision for the world. You have been the ambassador for the world, not just for Silicon valley for the world. How fortunate we are to have your mentorship and your leadership on our board at them, so thank you. Representative Eshoo, having a representative you know even before you go to their office to ask for something, what their position will be, because you always do the right thing. You always support the right things. And you’re a data driven. Is this the right thing to do kind of a person, as opposed to what is the politics of this? You are in politics to do the right thing, not do the thing so it keeps you in politics. That is the rare breed today in you know, in today’s world here. We need more of you and you are such a leader and we couldn’t be more grateful that you’re representing us. We all don’t get to say it often enough to our public leaders. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Thank you.
Carl Guardino:
Thank you, Dr. Srider. John Chambers, Anna Eshoo, Bloom colleagues. Thanks for joining us today.
John Chambers:
Be safe.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Thank you everyone. Thank you, John, Carl, KR. Beautiful to be with you, likewise.
John Chambers:
Anna, friends for life.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo:
Yes, absolutely. I love that, John. Bye.