Dell hands over CEO title to Rollins

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ^ | Thursday, March 4, 2004 | (Not listed)

[Arrowhead1952]

After 20 years, Dell will be only chairman

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AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Thursday, March 4, 2004

Kevin Rollins, Michael Dell's longtime partner in running Dell Inc., will take over as chief executive officer of the computer company in July while Dell will remain chairman.

Dell's board of directors approved the move this morning during a regularly scheduled board meeting in New York, the company said.

In some ways, the move comes as a surprise because Dell, at age 39, has long dismissed the idea of succession at the company he founded. And Rollins has said he didn't expect to become CEO.

But in other ways, it's not much of a change, said Dell spokesman T.R. Reid. Michael Dell has made no secret that his focus has long been on the big picture, while Rollins, and others before him, handled day-to-day operations.

"It recognizes the role Kevin already plays," Reid said. "Michael has been more focused on the broader trends in customer preference and technology while Kevin has been more strategy/operations oriented."

Rollins, who came to the company as a Bain & Co. consultant in 1993, became president in August 2001.

The new arrangement is much like the one Bill Gates put in place at Microsoft Corp. in January 2000, when Gates became chairman and chief software architect while Steve Ballmer took over as CEO.

Dell has long had partners in the executive suite. Mort Topfer was vice chairman from 1994 to 2001.

"It's a notable passing but not a profound change in those roles," Reid said. "Mort (Topfer) and Kevin and Michael were running the company in partnership more than six years ago."

The company also said today Topfer will not seek re-election as a Dell director.

[Hodar]

... because Dell, at age 39....

39, a self-made multi-gazillionare is going into 'semi-retirement'; thanks alot Arrowhead. Paying the first of the month's bills just wasn't depressing enough.... :-P

[mcg1969]

My hats off to Michael Dell, who started this business out of a University of Texas dorm room. His is a great American success story, and like many such stories he has lifted many others around him into wealth as well. Enjoy your semi-retirement, Mr. Dell, which frankly probably just brings him closer to a normal 40-hour work week :)

[Xenalyte]

Dell hands over CEO title to Rollins

Cool! Henry Rollins ROCKS!

[upchuck]

As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Rollins could jump start his new position by fixing Dell's badly shattered customer support operation. I'd really like to talk with an American for a change instead of an Indian. I have nothing against the Indians. They are just in a "can't win" position.

I used Dell support both before and after they outsourced it. And believe me, what they have now is horrible compared with what it used to be.

The corporate users who spend bug bucks bitched so much Dell gave them back state-side support. Wish they'd do the same for the little guy like me.

</end rant>

[upchuck]

"bug bucks?" Oh, I mean BIG bucks. FR has a nice spell checker, now they need a grammar and logic checker :)

[kevkrom]

now they need a grammar and logic checker

But a logic checker would eliminate all of the ZOT threads!

[LibertyGirl77]

Enjoy your free time, Mr. Dell! You've earned it!

Stories like this one inspire me to get off my ass and get producing -- better shut the FR window for a while. ;)

[Cicero]

Ted Waites retired several times from Gateway, and each time he did so they started to go downhill and he had to come back. Finally they lost so much ground that, at this point, IMHO, Gateway is a lost cause.

I don't expect Michael Dell to retire for a while yet. His whole business model is that everybody is expected to do better every year than they did the year before. But at some point I suppose Dell will join the ranks of other companies and become mortal.

[keysguy]

Good riddence to incompetent CEO's. I bought a new dell 6 months ago and it took me three months to get a bill! There is literally no one to talk to--they only talk when they sell--I would never buy another dell.

[TheDon]

Your only complaint is that they delayed your billing by 3 months? LOL!

[malia]

"--now they need a grammar and logic checker :)

I heard, just yesterday, he is on vacation.

[maui_hawaii]

He's a big time Mormon :o)

Graduate of BYU...