IBM legend Louis Gerstner dies at 83, the CEO who saved Big Blue
Louis Gerstner, the former IBM CEO credited with rescuing the company from collapse and leading one of tech's biggest corporate turnarounds, has died at the age of 83.
New Delhi: Louis Gerstner, the leader widely credited with saving IBM from collapse and reshaping modern enterprise technology, has died at the age of 83. His passing was confirmed by IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna in an email to employees, though the cause of death was not disclosed.
Gerstner stepped into IBM when it was struggling badly and many believed the company might not survive. Krishna wrote, "Lou arrived at IBM at a moment when the company’s future was genuinely uncertain. His leadership during that period reshaped the company. Not by looking backward, but by focusing relentlessly on what our clients would need next.”
The outsider who rebuilt IBM
Gerstner became IBM’s first outsider CEO in 1993 after leading RJR Nabisco and working at American Express and McKinsey. When he arrived, IBM was losing relevance against rivals and was close to being broken into smaller companies. Instead, he kept IBM together and changed its entire direction toward business services, enterprise solutions, and customer focused technology models. He was credited with cost restructuring, cutting losses, changing culture, and restoring profitability. IBM’s market value and stock performance grew sharply during his tenure.
Many inside the company remember him for strong clarity and intense focus. Krishna recalled meeting him during a small town hall in the 1990s and remembered his ability to balance short term execution and long term vision. "He pushed hard on delivery, but he was equally focused on innovation, doing work that clients would remember, not just consume.”
A leader remembered by the tech world
Gerstner inspired several leaders across the technology world who worked at IBM during his era. AMD CEO Lisa Su remembered him saying, "He was amazingly curious and insightful about technology. So honored to have had a chance to work with him.” Former IBM chief Gina Rometty called him "a brilliant, principled leader who led with intellect, not fear.”
Beyond corporate success, Gerstner also invested deeply in education and philanthropy, building initiatives to use technology in classrooms and supporting biomedical research and social work across US communities. His journey from crisis manager to transformational leader built one of the strongest comeback stories in tech history.
Louis Gerstner leaves behind a legacy of tough decisions, visionary leadership, and a generation of technology professionals who learned from him.