Apple is to Steve Jobs as Microsoft is to Bill Gates as Oracle is to Larry Ellison as Dell is to, well, Dell. All of those companies run with the blood of their founders, and are reflections of their boss. While Apple tried to get rid of Steve Jobs, and paid a big price for doing so, Microsoft’s long-time CEO Bill Gates stepped down from the top-spot without much ill-effect.
According to Silicon.com, the folks at Dell are about to find out what happens when their guiding light does the same. The media outlet is reporting that Mr. Dell will be stepping down from the CEO spot, while remaining chairman of the board. Kevin Rollins will be stepping up to fill the CEO spot. From the article:
Michael Dell is stepping aside from his position as CEO of Dell 20 years after he founded the computer manufacturer.
Kevin Rollins, currently president and COO, will become the new CEO and will also be nominated for election to the Dell board, replacing retired Dell executive Mort Topfer, at the next annual general meeting.
Michael Dell will remain as chairman of the board and will be "deeply involved" in the day-to-day business identifying trends in technology and customer preferences, the company said in a statement. Rollins will focus on company strategy and operations.
The article also says that the big switch will take place in July. You can find the full article at Silicon.com.
The Mac Observer Spin:
We don’t think there will be much of a change; while Mr. Dell won’t be completely in charge, he will likely continue to have as much influence as, say, another once CEO of a major PC related corporation.
We’re speaking of Microsoft and Bill Gates, of course, who gave up his CEO position to Steve Ballmer. It’s so business as usual at Big Redmond, that many folks would be surprised to learn that Gates isn’t CEO anymore. We think Dell (the company) will continue in a similar fashion.
Indeed, Mr. Rollins has long had a prominent role at Dell, and both execs have taken their pot shots at Apple over the years (Slanted Report Touts Dell’s Assault On Apple’s Education Sales, Michael Dell Bashes Apple & Steve Jobs On CNBC), so we don’t expect much change at the king of the toasters.