When Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) CEO Lisa Su talks about leadership, she knows what she's talking about. After all, she pulled off one of tech's great turnarounds since taking AMD's helm in 2014. But over the weekend, Su took time to honor someone who shaped her own approach to leading through crisis: Lou Gerstner, the former IBM (IBM) CEO who passed away Saturday at 83.
The Leader Who Made Time for Curiosity
Su's tribute, posted Sunday on X, wasn't your standard corporate condolence message. She described Gerstner as "amazingly curious and insightful" about technology, emphasizing how privileged she felt to learn under his leadership early in her career.
"So honored to have had a chance to work with him," Su wrote, adding that her "condolences are with Lou's family and the extended IBM family."
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna broke the news of Gerstner's death to the company's 293,000 employees worldwide on Sunday, though no cause was specified.
The Turnaround Artist Who Set the Template
If you're wondering why Su's tribute carries extra weight, consider the parallel paths these leaders walked. Gerstner took over IBM in 1993 when the company was, to put it mildly, in trouble. The tech giant stood at the brink of collapse. By the time he stepped down in 2002, IBM's stock had soared more than 800%.
Sound familiar? Su inherited a struggling AMD a decade later and orchestrated a similarly impressive revival, transforming the chipmaker into a legitimate competitor to industry giants.
Even after retirement, Gerstner remained connected to IBM, offering what Krishna called "generous advice" to successive CEOs and senior executives. That relationship lasted nearly two decades, right up until Krishna's own tenure began.
Lessons That Keep Teaching
Gerstner's influence extended beyond mentorship and into the business school canon. He captured his IBM turnaround experience in "Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?," a book that became required reading for executives facing their own seemingly impossible challenges.
As for IBM itself, shares closed Friday at $305.09, up 0.17%, and slipped 0.07% in overnight trading following Gerstner's death. The stock continues to show strength across momentum and quality metrics, with favorable price trends across short, medium, and long-term horizons.
Su's public remembrance underscores something worth noting: the best leaders don't just transform companies; they shape the people who go on to lead the next generation of transformations. Gerstner's curiosity and insight clearly left their mark on Su, who's now inspiring her own generation of tech executives.