But Chambers also possesses political savvy, if his recent contributions to Republicans are any indication. While much of Silicon Valley backed the Democrats, Chambers made a point of giving to both parties, making sure he had a stake in George W. Bush. With Cisco Systems growing so rapidly, the company had reason to fear federal antitrust supervision -- a threat lessened considerably with Bush's election.

"I believe they are sensitive to antitrust exposure," Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America told reporters, "and that makes buying Bush a good bet, because he has said he will not do antitrust policy the way Clinton did."

Chambers knows that decisions in Washington have a direct effect on Cisco's bottom line. Based on its revenues, the company would owe some $2 billion in federal taxes ­ but Cisco doesn't pay a cent, thanks to a federal rule allowing it to write off employee stock options.

With such sums on the line, Chambers joined the Bush transition team before the votes in Florida were even counted. Like other tech leaders, Chambers supports school reform, which would provide more computers and Internet access for classrooms -- and more business for tech companies. The industry is also pushing for a "tech czar," who would serve as a kind of in-house lobbyist in the administration. In January, Bush reached out to the industry, convening a meeting with Chambers and other high-tech leaders to pledge his commitment to their concerns. "There's going to be a high level of specific attention to technology issues in the Bush White House," says Kent Jenkins, a Cisco spokesman in Washington.

Chambers and many other tech leaders are so confident of their access to GOP leaders, they didn't even bother to attend the Republican National Convention. "Members already know who we are, and we already have good relationships with many of them," one tech lobbyist explained to the National Journal. As Bush accepted the Republican nomination, Chambers went fishing.