Louis Gerstner, the executive credited with rescuing IBM, has died aged 83.
IBM announced his death on Sunday.
Gerstner led IBM as chair and chief executive from 1993 to 2002.
He took over as the company struggled against rivals including Microsoft and Sun Microsystems.
As IBM’s first external chief executive, Gerstner rejected plans to break the firm apart.
He believed customers wanted integrated solutions, not fragmented products.
That decision proved pivotal to IBM’s survival.
Arvind Krishna said Gerstner arrived when IBM’s future was genuinely uncertain.
Gerstner refocused the company on profitability and customer needs.
He famously said IBM did not need a vision, but execution.
During his tenure, IBM moved away from failed strategies, including its OS/2 operating system.
The shift helped stabilise the business after years of decline.
Before IBM, Gerstner led American Express and RJR Nabisco.
After leaving IBM, he chaired the Carlyle Group.
Krishna described him as intense, direct and focused on both delivery and innovation.
Gerstner’s leadership reshaped IBM for the modern technology era.
