Dude, Putin is so not getting a Dell
Many have by now learned that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is a bit, uh, prickly. But Michael Dell found out first hand at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
During the opening of the show, Putin gave a wide-ranging, 40-minute speech. When it came time for questions, Dell asked "How can we help" you with your country's IT infrastructure, according to a report in Fortune.
Putin immediately rebuffed the PC company's founder. "We don't need your help. We are not invalids. We don't have limited mental capacity," Putin responded. (I think the only appropriate response to that is, "Oh, snap!")
Now, I wasn't there, but it's highly unlikely this is anything close to what Dell was suggesting. Fortune writes that the "slapdown took many of the people in the audience by surprise." Um, rightfully so. But that wasn't the end of Putin's verbal judo attack on Dell and his company. Near the conclusion of his talk, Putin reportedly talked up Russian scientists and how they are "respected not for their hardware, but for their software." Double snap.
It's worth noting that Davos can be a humbling place for Dell. My CNET News colleague Ina Fried was at Davos back in 2000 and remembers the sight of Dell flipping slides for a fellow tech executive when the two were part of a panel. The look on Dell's face was priceless. Evidently slide jockey is not a role he coveted.
Update: The video showed up on YouTube. Here it is:
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
In mother Russia, computer uses you!
Besides - I bet Putin would prefer a home-grown open-source OS instead of MicroStalin.
Time to dump the stereotypes Sam.
Putin IS preferring Linux and is removing Windows from the government/educational establishments.
And why should Putin bother with Dell when there are so many other computer makers to choose from (HP, IBM, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, and a slew of more we don't hear about in the USA).
It's not about cloak and dagger, intrigue, and unspoken agendas.
It's exactly about what he said its about.
I listened to it again.
Dell was suggesting Russia was in need of help, and Putin said Russia is not in such need.
I'm surprised noone here gets it, with all the Libertarians in the IT sector...its a very libertarian approach.
The idea is that people who receive help, tend to become permanent recipients of help.
That 'help' actually impoverishes the very people it is intended to aid, because there is always that factor of dependency...of expectation, of 'rights' to aid.
How has the billions poured into Africa helped them? They are just as needy as ever.
Self sufficiency is usually the answer, not aid.
So you see Putin stating outright, save your help for invalids.
Frankly, if you are in shock, then you just find real opinions shocking...its not like he got up and birch slapped the guy (spelling error intentional).
In my opinion, it does no harm to remember that as you interpret these events. The last thing Russians want to do is re-introduce any irrational economic system, and status of 'aid recipient' is just that. Aid, is the opposite of rational economics...to get aid you must be in need...you must be poor. Rich people don't qualify for aid, poor people do. Dependency on aid, means you make irrational choices, about increasing your need, instead of increasing your wealth.
The U.S. understood this same phenomena on a smaller level, as it struggled with programs designed to help the poor, that led to a whole generation of people being raised, permanently on welfare...generations of people, especially in the black community, that didn't know what it was like to have a parent to go to work, children raised to go on welfare themselves, with no knowledge about work.
Thats why Clinton did the welfare reforms...it was a recognition of the unintended consequences of the Great Society...that sometimes help, does harm.
Dell maybe wanted just to sell some computers, but nevertheless...if you want to make a Russian mad, then be condescending. Frankly, Putin was just literally objecting to Dell's comments, based on what Dell said, maybe not what Dell meant.
Dell should just say what he wants. Hey, I want to make some money in Russia, how can I do that?
That would have worked 10,000 times better.
In this case, its the American that cannot be honest, and the Russian that is honest.
It may not always be that way, but in this case, yes, thats what happened.
Putin clearly misunderstood Dell's use of the word "help".
"Help", in their view, is indeed for the helpless and needy which he certainly, as a Russian, rejects as a condescending remark by M.Dell.
Dell thinks he's on a f-ing SALES CALL!
Thank You.
Your getting a Putin!!!
Putin's an arrogant jerk and Russia needs to get rid of him. Bush's term is up now it's Putin's turn to go.
Now, how about developing something constructive?
Putin is driving Russia into the dirt and Dell is doing the same to his company.
IDEA: Maybe they should Swap Jobs for a month? And the Loser wins! As determined by Bill Gates.
Round Rock or Moscow?...Same thing?
Maybe they are PO'd that Dell is opening a Factory in Poland?
ps-If their so f-ing smart, why didn't they invent the MAC?
Thank You.
You're obviously a Mac fanboy and you can't even spell it right
- by alegr January 28, 2009 4:50 PM PST
- Putin secretly admires Hitler. Russia now reminds me of 1930-s Germany.
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