"Gerstner was chair and CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002, a time when the company was struggling for relevance in the face of competition from rivals such as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. After becoming the first outsider to run the company, Gerstner abandoned a plan to split IBM, which was known as Big Blue, into a number of autonomous Baby Blues that would have focused on specific product areas such as processors or software."
"Lou arrived at IBM at a moment when the company's future was genuinely uncertain, he wrote. The industry was changing rapidly, our business was under pressure, and there was serious debate about whether IBM should even remain whole. His leadership during that period reshaped the company. Not by looking backward, but by focusing relentlessly on what our clients would need next."
"Gerstner startled reporters after arriving at the then loss-making IBM by declaring that the last thing IBM needs right now is a vision and insisting the top priority was restore the company to profitability and serve customers better. One of his many decisions was to abandon its OS/2 operating system, which it had hoped to use to challenge Microsoft's dominance of PC operating systems."
Louis Gerstner served as chair and CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002 and led a turnaround when the company faced fierce competition from Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. He became the first outsider to run IBM and reversed plans to split the company, keeping IBM intact to deliver integrated solutions rather than fragmented product silos. Gerstner prioritized restoring profitability and serving customers over pursuing a new corporate vision. He ended IBM's OS/2 operating system effort. Gerstner previously led American Express and RJR Nabisco. His leadership reshaped IBM and helped secure the company's survival and future client-focused strategy.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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