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How IBM's Sam Palmisano Redefined the Global Corporation

Harvard Business Review

In 2002 Palmisano succeeded a legendary leader in Lou Gerstner, who saved IBM from being broken up and put it on a viable course. In 2009 he called off the $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems in part due to Sun's egregious golden parachutes. HP suffered from a progression of strategic missteps and failed leaders.