Louis Gerstner

Louis Gerstner, the visionary business executive widely credited with saving IBM from collapse in the 1990s, died on Saturday at the age of 84. IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna confirmed his passing in a tribute to employees, noting that Gerstner arrived at the company during its most uncertain period and reshaped it for the modern era. Gerstner's tenure as Chairman and CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002 remains a classic case study in corporate transformation.

Before joining IBM, Gerstner built an extraordinary career at McKinsey & Company and served as the president of American Express and CEO of RJR Nabisco. When he took the helm at IBM, the company was facing serious pressure to break apart. Gerstner made the consequential decision to keep the company together, pivoting the business from hardware toward integrated technology services and software. This strategic shift is largely responsible for the company's survival and subsequent growth in the digital age.

Gerstner was a firm believer that corporate culture was not just part of the game, but was the game itself. He authored the bestselling book Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?, which detailed the radical cultural and operational changes he implemented at IBM. His leadership style was characterized by a relentless focus on customer needs and an insistence on accountability and innovation over internal bureaucracy.

He is remembered as one of the most influential business leaders of the 20th century, a man who transformed industrial giants with a mixture of intense focus and intellectual clarity. He is survived by his family and leaves behind a legacy of leadership that continues to be taught in business schools worldwide. His cause of death has not been disclosed by the family.