After working across three tech companies, I can say Dell has the most directionless leadership I’ve ever seen. They're constantly restructuring with zero clarity on goals. People are shuffled into weird roles or let go with no warning. It feels like the C-suite’s only objective is to please shareholders, forget about innovation or stability. Everyone’s either burnt out or actively interviewing.
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Dell does have direction...DOWN!
@a2 Shuffled and laid off. Loss of expertise and knowledge and no way to recoup. Dell leadership trying so hard to implode and honestly, doing a pretty bang up job of it. Senior leadership could be easily replaced by AI or a bunch of 5th graders.
I left Dell a few years ago, but spent 25 years there. I still have a good number of friends there, and nobody I know has the slightest clue what the end goal is. And all of them (and me) have pretty much been there, done that. But they never had senior and mid level churn like this, never decimated the ranks of the people who know how to get sh-t done like this. Even if it’s all just planning to use AI to replace people, you would think that the few people you still have would have to be the most competent.
Dell prioritizes cost-cutting over retaining talent. If you're a valuable employee in a group facing restructuring, your contributions may be overlooked. This issue isn't unique to Dell, Microsoft follows a similar pattern. I've witnessed numerous layoffs driven by profit margins, and once an employee is let go, they rarely return unless offered higher pay. Despite annual reviews where we document our contributions, there's little reward. Many employees earn certifications, stay loyal, and apply for internal roles, but when opportunities stagnate, they often leave for better jobs elsewhere. Dell struggles with professional talent management, frequently relying on managers who lack the expertise to effectively identify and nurture skilled employees.
This contributes to why some employees remain in the same role for years; some are content, while others find it intolerable. This could be a good idea to flatten the organization, but this is not done under these terms for sure: anytime there is a cut, it always implies a financial decision.
Normally leaders would step down once they realised they are obsolete.
MD's idea of innovation is to cut costs.
He reminds me of the type who would hoard condiments from restaurants then brag about how much he's saving on ketchup
Maybe they should look at replacing management with AI and keep the worker bees.
I am sure AI could make better decisions than Michael Dull and his empty tShirt sidekick.
this is what happens when you have a CEO who hasnt been relevant in over 10y.
Every year there is a mass reshuffling of teams. How are people supposed to develop continuity when they are constantly being shuffled around? Terrible management.