Dell No. 2 Jeff Clarke is taking control of its sputtering PC business. Read the memo he sent to staff.
Jeff Clarke, Dell's vice chairman and COO, announced in an internal memo sent on Tuesday that he would take on "day-to-day leadership" of the consumer solutions group, or CSG, which produces Dell's computers, monitors, and other hardware.
"This will help accelerate decision making and build momentum as the PC refresh cycle picks up speed," he told staff in the memo, which BI has seen.
Clarke, who has been at Dell since 1987 and is a key lieutenant of billionaire founder Michael Dell, also announced a series of other leadership changes and told staff that "modernizing how we operate includes fine-tuning leader roles and reporting lines so we can go fast and win."
The reorganization included appointing Sam Burd, previously the president of CSG, to lead Dell's corporate strategy.
Dell splits its business into two units: CSG and ISG, the infrastructure solutions group.
Demand for AI is driving growth in the ISG division, which develops AI servers — ISG revenue was up 29% in Dell's last full financial year.
However, CSG's annual revenue has declined every year since 2022, when it peaked amid the pandemic-era boom in PC sales. Total CSG revenue was $48.6 billion in 2025, down 21% from its 2022 peak, and just above pre-pandemic levels.
Dell's total annual revenue was up 8% in its 2025 financial year and the company's stock is up 11% since January.
One employee who works in sales support for Dell's CSG division told BI that Dell had been losing market share to competitors Lenovo and HP in specific categories like consumer and commercial notebooks and desktops for a few quarters.
"Our displays have always dominated for years, and I don't see that changing," the person added.
A Dell spokesperson told BI that the company is " focused on leading the commercial and consumer PC markets and capitalizing on the critical PC refresh cycle."
"We will continue to evolve our business with that goal in mind," the spokesperson said.
In a LinkedIn post on Thursday, CEO Michael Dell promoted the company's AI PCs, saying they deliver "longer, multi-day battery life, smoother workflows, and the confidence that you're ready for the AI era."
"Whenever companies see challenges to their revenue and market share, as Dell recently has, it's not uncommon to make organizational changes in an effort to bring new ideas into the mix," Bob Woodward, the president and chief analyst at Technalysis Research, told BI.
Woodward said the reorganization was a "subtle rearranging of the chairs, but hopefully one that drives the kind of new ideas Dell needs to reinvigorate their critical PC business."
The leadership changes come one week after Dell's annual employee survey results were released internally.
Dell's employee satisfaction score — known as the employee net promoter score, or eNPS — fell to 32, according to a transcript of a video update obtained by BI. Amid workforce reductions and RTO mandates, the eNPS has declined almost 50% in two years.
Read Jeff Clarke's full memo below:
Team, Modernizing how we operate includes fine-tuning leader roles and reporting lines so we can go fast and win. To that end, I'm making a few changes to my leadership team. I've asked Sam Burd to lead Corporate Strategy. Sam is an expert strategist and his BU leadership, deep market knowledge and consulting background will be instrumental as we plan for the future. Vivek Mohindra, who has led Corporate Strategy for the last two years, will take on a new role as Special Advisor, working directly with me on business-critical projects. I am grateful for the leadership and vision he brought to the Corporate Strategy Office and look forward to working with him in this new capacity. Dennis Hoffman and the Telecom Systems Business will move to ISG, with Dennis joining Arthur Lewis's Leadership team. For now, I will take on the day-to-day leadership of CSG. This will help accelerate decision making and build momentum as the PC refresh cycle picks up speed. The following CSG leaders will report directly to me: Alex Barretto wil lead an expanded team including PC Engineering and Services, CTO, Experinece Design Group and GOPO. Chris Cowger will continue to lead Global Consumer and eCommerce Bert Park will now lead Displays, Docks, Partner Software and Client Peripherals Karen Plotkin will lead Product Operations, Strategy and Transformation Kevin Terwilliger will continue to lead PC Product Management The rest of the CSG leaders and their teams will report to one of the leaders above. Alex, Chris, Bert, Karen and Kevin will host team meetings later in the week to share more details. As many of you know, my CSG roots run deep. I care a lot about this business and believe in our portfolio and our people. I also believe we have a winning hand, but we've got to play it right. Let's stay focused. Let's go all in. And let's win. Jeff
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dell launches massive back-to-school sale: I've picked the 7 best laptop deals from just $249
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's that time of the year again, the one where prospective students and faculty prepare for another year at school or college. It's also the time of year when several retailers ramp up their back-to-school sales. One such retailer is the official Dell Store, which has just launched a huge seasonal sale covering everything from super-basic options to high-end premium machines. As TechRadar's deals editor, I've rounded up the seven best laptop deals in today's sale, starting at $249 for this super-cheap Dell 15 laptop - a great option if you're just looking for something to cover the basics. Need something with a little more power? A few more highlights include this upgraded Dell 15 for $479 (was $749) or this Inspiron 14 for $549 (was $849) – both some of the best mid-range Windows laptop deals you'll find anywhere right now. Finally, those looking for something a little special can check out the excellent Dell XPS 13 for $749 (was $1,199) or this powerful RTX 5070-equipped Alienware 16X gaming laptop for $1,799 (was $2,099). You can read more about all these deals in more detail just down below. 7 best laptop deals at Dell Processor: AMD Ryzen 3-7320URAM: 8GB DDR5Storage: 512GB SSD If you're looking for a cheap machine to handle the basics, then this Dell 15 laptop is almost unbelievably affordable thanks to the Dell Back to School sale this week. Although it's only got a combination of a Ryzen 3 chipset and 8GB of RAM, these should suffice if you're just looking to do simple tasks like browsing, answering emails, or streaming content. View Deal Processor: Intel Core i7-1355URAM: 16GB DDR4Storage: 1TB SSD Here's another great deal on a Dell 15 laptop courtesy of the Dell Back to School sale. This time, it's on a much higher-end configuration, with a decent Core i7 chipset and 16GB of RAM - meaning, you've got plenty of power under the hood right now. This is a very, very sensible all-rounder if you're looking for a machine that can handle relatively intensive tasks like big spreadsheets or a large amount of browser tabs. View Deal Processor: Intel Core 7-150URAM: 16GB DDR5Storage: 1TB SSD If you want a relatively small laptop on a budget, the Dell Inspiron 14 is a fantastic choice. While it's a little pricier than some options, the combination of an Intel Core 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD makes this one great for even relatively demanding applications. At 14-inches, it's also much more portable than some 16-inch and bigger options. View Deal Processor: Snapdragon X EliteRAM: 16GB DDR5Storage: 512GB SSD Dell's XPS 13 laptops are always worth keeping an eye out for during official sales for deals just like this fantastic clearance deal on the entry-level Snapdragon model. At just $749, this one is an absolute steal considering you get great performance, a 512GB SSD, and almost unbeatable battery life out of this model. Note, however, it does lack the Thunderbolt 4 ports that are exclusive to Intel versions. View Deal Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7-258VRAM: 32GB DDR5Storage: 1TB SSD The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite mid-range Windows laptops thanks to its excellent design and competitive specs. This particular configuration is a bit on the pricey end, but you do get an Ultra 7 chipset, 32GB of RAM, and a 2.5K display, meaning it's absolutely stacked with features. If I were looking for a decent everyday laptop for everything from work to demanding productivity applications, then I'd be very tempted by this Deal Processor: Snapdragon X EliteRAM: 32GB DDR5Storage: 1TB SSD And, if you're looking for more storage on your drive, you can also find a great discount on this slightly specced-out XPS 13 in the Dell back-to-school sale. You'll get the same excellent Snapdragon chipset as the basic configuration above but a significantly bigger 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM for more multi-tasking headroom. View Deal Graphics card: RTX 5070Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HXRAM: 32GB DDR5Storage: 2TB SSD And lastly, but certainly not least, check out this discounted Alienware 16X Aurora in the Dell Back to School sale. Admittedly, it's not the cheapest listing available at Dell this week, but it is the best gaming laptop deal, in my opinion. With an RTX 5070 graphics card, Ultra 9 chipset, and a whopping 32GB of RAM, this one is all set for excellent performance right out the box. View Deal More of this week's best back-to-school sales Amazon: 45% off supplies, tech & clothing Apple: $150 gift card with Mac & iPad purchase Backpacks: Adidas & Jansport from $9.99 Best Buy: $500 off laptops, printers & monitors Chromebooks: deals starting at $169 College: 50% off Kitchen gadgets, furniture & tech Dell: laptops & monitors starting at $249.99 Nordstrom: 20% off Nike, Adidas & UGG Samsung: up to $800 off for students & educators School supplies: deals starting at $4.99 Target: 30% off kids' clothing, uniforms & backpacks Walmart: supplies, backpacks, clothing & tech from $5
Digital Trends
16 hours ago
- Digital Trends
Dell's Back to School sale is on and this full-keyboard laptop is somehow $250
As horrible as it sounds, the end of July rings the bell to alert us that summer vacation is ending. Soon, it'll be time to hit the books, or at least the eBook reader if that's the way you're ingesting literature these days. But, at least it brings things like the Dell Back to School Sale. In it, we've discovered something pretty incredible — a laptop for students for just $250. The Dell DC15255 was originally $380, but now has a discount of $130 to get you this great price. Don't wait, however, as just awhile ago Dell had another, quite similar, laptop priced at $250. It's already sold out. This one probably will sell out soon, too, so go ahead and tap the button below to snap it up quickly. Or, keep reading to see why we think you'll like it in your book bag. Why you should buy the Dell DC15255 This is an extremely affordable laptop at an eye-catching price. And that's why most people will buy it, but it also has quite a bit going for it in its own right. Anyone that deals with data or is in a numbers-heavy field will absolutely love the fact that this humble 15.6-inch laptop has a full numpad. That alone makes this a worthy consideration for anyone enrolling in a science, engineering, or accounting class this fall. Then, the laptop's stat line is also better than you might expect. It has 8GB of memory (you can double that to 16GB if you like) and 512GB of storage (also double-able); both perfect for browsing and taking notes in class, especially if you store those notes on the cloud. You'll also see that it has an AMD Ryzen 3 processor and, surprisingly, a Radeon 610M GPU. One final surprise? Its FHD screen has a 120Hz refresh rate for a smooth look. The DC15255 at just $250, a discount of $130 off of the original $380, is one of the best student laptop deals going on right now. Get it before it sells out, which will likely be soon.
Business Insider
16 hours ago
- Business Insider
Trump wants to ban 'woke AI.' Here's why it's hard to make a truly neutral chatbot.
President Donald Trump's war on woke has entered the AI chat. The White House on Wednesday issued an executive order requiring any AI model used by the federal government to be ideologically neutral, nonpartisan, and "truth-seeking." The order, part of the White House's new AI Action Plan, said AI should not be "woke" or "manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas" like diversity, equity, and inclusion. The White House said it would issue guidance within 120 days that will outline exactly how AI makers can show they are unbiased. As Business Insider's past reporting shows, making AI completely free from bias is easier said than done. Why it's so hard to create a truly 'neutral' AI Removing bias from AI models is not a simple technical adjustment — or an exact science. The later stages of AI training rely on the subjective calls of contractors. This process, known as reinforcement learning from human feedback, is crucial because topics can be ambiguous, disputed, or hard to define cleanly in code. The directives for what counts as sensitive or neutral are decided by the tech companies making the chatbots. "We don't define what neutral looks like. That's up to the customer," Rowan Stone, the CEO of data labeling firm Sapien, which works with customers like Amazon and MidJourney, told BI. "Our job is to make sure they know exactly where the data came from and why it looks the way it does." In some cases, tech companies have recalibrated their chatbots to make their models less woke, more flirty, or more engaging. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. What is your job title? (1 of 2) Entry level position Project manager Management Senior management Executive management Student Self-employed Retired Other Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . They are also already trying to make them more neutral. BI previously reported that contractors for Meta and Google projects were often told to flag and penalize"preachy" chatbot responses that sounded moralizing or judgmental. Is 'neutral' the right approach? Sara Saab, the VP of product at Prolific, an AI and datatraining company, told BI that thinking about AI systems that are perfectly neutral "may be the wrong approach" because "human populations are not perfectly neutral." Saab added, "We need to start thinking about AI systems as representing us and therefore give them the training and fine-tuning they need to know contextually what the culturally sensitive, appropriate tone and pitch is for any interaction with a human being." Tech companies must also consider the risk of bias creeping into AI models from the datasets they are trained on. "Bias will always exist, but the key is whether it's there by accident or by design," said Sapien's Stone. "Most models are trained on data where you don't know who created it or what perspective it came from. That makes it hard to manage, never mind fix." Big Tech's tinkering with AI models has sometimes led to unpredictable and harmful outcomes Earlier this month, for example, Elon Musk's xAI rolled back a code update to Grok after the chatbot went on a 16-hour antisemitic rant on the social media platform X. The bot's new instructions included a directive to "tell it like it is."
