Is the Cisco Systems CEO Overpaid?
On pay-for-performance, Cisco Systems scores D (40/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Chuck Robbins earned $52.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -6.3% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: Is the Cisco Systems CEO Overpaid?. The answer draws on SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, the public disclosure mechanism for U.S. public-company executive pay. Every public company must file an annual proxy statement disclosing CEO and named-executive-officer compensation in detail. Why this matters for shareholders: executive compensation is the single most-disclosed governance metric at U.S. public companies, and the Dodd-Frank-mandated say-on-pay vote gives shareholders an explicit channel to express approval or dissent. Reading pay data well — including pay-versus-performance, peer-group selection, and time-vesting structures — is a basic part of stock-by-stock fundamental analysis.
The detailed answer below uses the actual proxy-statement filings, explains how to read them, and translates the executive-compensation accounting into the shareholder-relevant interpretation.
Cisco Systems Pay-for-Performance Scorecard
- Pay-for-Performance grade
- D (40/100)
- 3-yr shareholder return
- -6.3%
- 3-yr revenue growth
- 0.1%
- Say-on-pay approval
- 92.2%
- CEO total comp
- $52.8M
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 406:1
Source: Cisco Systems SEC DEF 14A proxy statement. Pay-for-Performance grade is CEOPay's proprietary score (TSR alignment 40%, revenue-vs-pay growth 30%, say-on-pay 20%, pay ratio vs peers 10%).
The CEOPay Pay-for-Performance Score grades Cisco Systems a D (40/100). It weighs four factors pulled from the company's SEC filings: three-year total shareholder return alignment (44/100), revenue growth versus compensation growth (0/100), say-on-pay vote support (94/100), and CEO-to-worker pay ratio versus peers (38/100). Chuck Robbins's $52,838,751 package is the number those factors judge.
Over the trailing three years, Cisco Systems delivered -6.3% total shareholder return on 0.1% revenue growth, and 92.2% of shareholders approved the pay plan in the most recent say-on-pay vote. When pay holds up or rises faster than the returns it is meant to reward, that is the pattern critics point to when they call a package "overpaid."
There is no single threshold for "overpaid." The package only pays out in full if performance and vesting conditions are met, and equity dominates it: $NaN of Chuck Robbins's 2025 pay came from stock awards versus $NaN in base salary. Reasonable shareholders weigh the grade, the say-on-pay vote, and the peer-group context together rather than the headline number alone.
Pay & Performance Data
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $52,838,751 |
| Base Salary | $NaN |
| Stock Awards | $NaN |
| Option Awards | $NaN |
| Non-Equity Incentive | $NaN |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 406:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | D |
Other Networking CEOs
Frequently Asked Questions
On pay-for-performance, Cisco Systems scores D (40/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Chuck Robbins earned $52.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -6.3% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates Cisco Systems as D (40/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of -6.3%, revenue growth of 0.1%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems, earned $52.8M in total compensation in 2025, including $NaNM in stock awards and $NaN in base salary.
Cisco Systems's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 406:1. CEO Chuck Robbins earns approximately 406 times the median worker's pay of $130,000, as disclosed in the company's SEC DEF 14A proxy statement.
Chuck Robbins is the chief executive officer of Cisco Systems (CSCO).
More about Cisco Systems
On pay-for-performance, Cisco Systems scores D (40/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Chuck Robbins earned $52.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -6.3% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.