Dell bleeds converged infrastructure unit into existing divisions Dell has split up and distributed the Chad Sakac-led Converged Platforms and Solutions Division (CPSD) across company's existing server, storage and networking units (Infrastructure Solutions Group). CPSD handled the rapidly growing hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) and converged infrastructure (CI) products. The HCI set …
Chad had his eye on the CEO job taking over The Tucc (it would be awesome to have a Canadian run a big company like that) but now with Dell taking over and Big Mike not going anywhere, it is anyone's guess what Chad will do. But he is super smart and running like an energizer bunny (know him personally) so I am sure he will continue his upswing momentum
This post has been deleted by its author
"Why? I remember Chad was a great leader on top of being super smart..."
There are a number of reasons and none actually personal to Chad. He will likely end up leaving and go straight into a CxO role somewhere.....just never CEO of EMC at any point in time.
- EMC was too large. Chad had experience running VCE which was quite a small organisation in comparative terms. While high in revenue it was for the most part an organisation that put together other peoples stuff. The revenue was pass through from VMware, Cisco and later Dell. It has a pretty steady future, a few releases of new stuff but for the most part there wasn't a lot of innovation going on. VCE is pretty dull, his role akin to being the US ambassador to Spain. Nice place, on the map but not really that important to the US (no offence Spaniards, I love you guys).
- Age & Experience. He'd be quite young for a CEO and EMC is not a hip-young start up. It's a knife-carrying snake pit. Would the old guard work for him? Would he hold his own? Could he grow a business that large even larger? Where's the experience? Why him over the CxO from another large company or fifteen others in the organisation who had run product lines many times larger.
- Wall street face. A company that large needs to see a wall-street face. Someone the analysts know. This is why startup CEOs often get replaced after they have the business running - they need the guys who are used to taking a company from $50m revenue to $500m revenue. It's also why CFO's tend to land CEO roles.
Looks like Dell has made the same move HPE did with Simplivity - foolishly thinking that tinshifters can adequately sell HCI solutions, and rolling it into the server biz to save money and RIF’ing good people where possible.
Spoiler alert: they can’t.
Also to the person suggesting Chad would become CEO - LOL No.
HCI definitely isn't a server product, but a lot of HCI sales are coming from the server budgets and are being driven by the server teams.
But as I read this, it's not a sales realignment: HCI is built out of server components: it probably makes sense for Dell engineering to do this than to have two separate groups doing sever designs.
I hope Chad lands as a higher up in a big US company so he can spread the Canadian values i.e. protecting underprivileged groups in society, investing in and protecting our environment, promoting solar, etc. It's not just about the profits but also about the fellow human being. that's what we believe in.
Chad is a useless marketing clown, jumping around and yelling "awesome" hoping that it will mask his lack of real strategy. VxRails was late to the game and it's only by leveraging EMC's massive sales force that he was able to sustain the illusion that he had a clue.
But as far as top level management goes he was, at least, entertaining and vaguely human. This is much more than can be said for the Dell drones slowly moving into every function like zombies hunting for brains.
Disclosure - I'm Chad :-)
To all - thanks for the comments, they are appreciated.
To some of the @anonymouscowards - I'm insanely flattered that you may think that I would even be remotely qualified to be in the big CEO seat.
The commenter who disagreed is right. To be qualified for that role, I would need a lot of development: 1) on scope (my largest span was several thousand employees, several billion of revenue, and several hundred of annual OPEX - still tiny relative to the company as a whole); 2) on age/experience (I have learnt a lot over the last few years particularly on the operational demands of a scaled business - but have a LOT to learn); 3) wall street face/relationships (most of my relationships are with the technical side of our customers, not the CEOs and certainly not with Wall Street Finance). Frankly, I've been working to continue to learn, develop - but a long way from ready for that :-) One day, it would be an honour to be the person where the buck stops - someday, someplace.
@Zen____ It's true that I can be a clown, and I'm pretty (overly?) enthusiastic. I don't take myself seriously, and I think it's important to have a little fun (including poking fun at oneself). A clown? Yes.
A "marketing clown"? Nope. No one should misunderstand - one can be silly and clown-like and ALSO deadly serious about the business, the people, and our customers.
You've got to be who you are - authentic at all times, and like all people - we are all multi-faceted. I'm glad you think I'm human and vaguely entertaining :-) Your characterization of my colleagues is not reflective of my experience.
Now - re: your VxRail comments. I agree, we were late to the game, but the team came out swinging. Yes, our great salesforce, channel and customer base plays a part in where we stand. However, that's not the whole story.
The strategic realization that the majority of the market for HCI and moreover cloud (IaaS, PaaS, CaaS) stacks would LOVE an HCI which is unabashedly aligned with their standard (the majority of the market being vSphere) was an obvious face-palm moment, and when we leaned in for a turnkey experience, and as vSAN matured - we moved the market fast. Our Q4 results will come out in the future, and they will show the formula is working, and working furiously. I get skepticism, or being a fanboi of others - but denying results or trying to marginalize them, well that's like being a science denier.
The team in their new home (not "embedded" in the Server business, but aligned with the server business - Ashley and team know that HCI is not the same as a server) will keep the pedal to the metal - across VxRail, VxRack, and our other HCI offers. There is a strong roadmap, and there is a ton to improve - and I know they will do that and more.
@angardner - thank you! I think it's important to bring core values and be your whole self in everything you do. I don't think that those are uniquely "Canadian" values - I think they are humanist values, and values that are grounded in freedom for individuals to be themselves, to be empathetic to all (including those that disagree with you) and being able to disagree without being disagreeable.
@AnonymousCoward who commented with #karmaisabitch - I'm sorry if I've hurt you in some way. I'm an easy dude to find online. Send me a DM on twitter, let me know where you feel I erred, and let me know if I can help you in some way. Minimally, if I know, I can reflect on whether I acted the right way.
@vFidel - thank you! The company is being super-supportive and I've got the luxury of time to determine my next role, and do it right. Dell Technologies is an amazing and broad place - lots to see, learn, and do. In the meantime, I'm spending some quality time with my wife and kids, getting into a little better shape (!)
All, thanks for the comments (of all types) - and we'll talk again soon!
-Chad
Thanks Chad for another show of humanity, humility and just plain honesty.
Yes, no one is perfect and we all have a lot to learn from this journey. But there are ways to travel, and you do it in style.
I have so far loved your style and comms and think they have done a world of good for employees, customers and the overall ability of VCE/CPSD/Dell to go from Engineers' talk to human talk (no offence anyone). It is no mean feat to connect with people and to listen, with interest and curiosity.
Hats off, see you soon :)
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
