Russian PM Putin blasts PC maker Dell
By Bala Shah

Russia has had many strong leaders.  Its ex-President and current Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has almost single handedly steered it back to super power status it once enjoyed.  Not a single important decision is taken in Russia without it being cleared by Putin and his trusted advisors.  Putin is ruthless and brooks no opposition.  The Russian bear has now clawed Dell.

Putin is the key player in Russia and so his every word and action is watched with close interest. 

Michael Dell founded Dell and it has always been among the world’s top 3 computer makers. Like its rival HP, it is making a big push into India. In 2008, Dell India launched a brand campaign across India where it used respected IT and BPO leaders like Raman Roy (Qattro) and P. Rajendran (NIIT) to promote Dell in our country. Currently, Dell is No. 1 is the large enterprise market in India but has slipped to No. 5 in the SMB market.

This week all the movers and shakers of the world are meeting at the annual World Economic Forum at Davos.  Yesterday, after Vladimir Putin gave a long speech to the rich and powerful at the Forum, Michael Dell rose and asked Putin: “How can we help you to expand IT in Russia”?

Putin, who has a healthy ego and a deep suspicion of America, was not amused.  He is especially sensitive to any western offers of ‘help’ to a resurgent, confident Russia.  Putin lashed out at Michael Dell saying: "We don't need help. We are not invalids. We don't have limited mental capacity."  Putin ended by telling Dell that Russian techies were rightly respected not only for their hardware but for their software as well.

Needless to say, the movers and shakers in the audience were stunned at the ferocity of the Russian bear.

As long as Putin is in power, the welcome mat will not be laid for hardware manufacturer Dell.