Which CEO of IBM sold the company's PC division to Lenovo in 2005?

Samuel J. Palmisano was the IBM CEO who led the sale of IBM’s PC division to Lenovo in 2005.

Palmisano became IBM’s chief executive in March 2002, succeeding Louis V. Gerstner Jr., and also became chairman in 2003. Under his leadership, IBM pursued a strategy of emphasizing services, software, consulting, and higher-margin enterprise businesses rather than manufacturing personal computers.

The Lenovo transaction was a major symbolic decision because IBM had popularized the modern business PC with its IBM PC line in 1981. IBM announced the sale in 2004, and the deal closed in 2005. Lenovo acquired IBM’s personal-computer business, while IBM received an ownership stake in Lenovo and maintained a commercial relationship with the company.

The sale is sometimes attributed to Gerstner because he had overseen IBM’s earlier transformation away from dependence on mainframes and hardware. However, Gerstner retired in 2002. Palmisano was CEO when IBM made and completed the Lenovo transaction, making him the canonical answer.