Tech seldom delivers on its promises, but IBM's Sam
Palmisano plans to change that
By DANIEL EISENBERG/ARMONK
IBM CEO Sam Palmisano
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003
Sam Palmisano has the easy, boyish grin and hearty laugh of the consummate salesman he has been for much of his 30-year career at IBM. He can seem quite a contrast to his predecessor as CEO, Lou Gerstner, a notoriously gruff, prickly outsider responsible for one of the greatest turnarounds in corporate history. But nearly a year after taking over the reins amid a lingering slump in corporate spending on technology, Palmisano, 51, has shown that he has sharp teeth behind that smile...