Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin started a public war of words with Michael Dell, hitting back at the computing giant's leader after he offered to come to the aid of Russia's IT industry.
The pair shared the stage at the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland. But the mood turned colder than the Swiss Alps when Dell asked the Russian prime minister: "How can we as an IT sector help you broaden the economy as you move out of a crisis and take advantage of that great scientific talent that you have?"
A disgruntled looking Putin paused for thought for a few seconds before replying: "We don't need any help. We are not invalids. We do not have limited capacity. People with limited capacity should be helped. Pensioners should be helped. Developing countries should be helped."
Putin went on to lecture Dell about the harm of "rich nations" simply pumping money into developing nations, before explaining how villages in Siberia are already connected to the Internet. "Every Russian school has computer rooms and internet access," the Russian prime minister insisted.
"It is with great pleasure we will accept, as we have done before, investments into this sector. And we will continue developing our own products and presenting them to the global markets," Putin added.
He then went on to deliver a subtle swipe at Dell's hardware business, highlighting Russia's strength in software development and intellectual property. "Our programmers are one of the best in the world, no doubt about it. And no-one would contest it here. Even our Indian colleagues," he concluded, to much laughter in the audience.
Diligent camerawork prevents us from seeing whether Mr Dell found it funny too.
-
LaunchDarkly to "double down" on observability with Highlight acquisitionNews Highlight's observability tools will be integrated into LaunchDarkly's Guarded Releases software deployment service
-
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE reviewReviews The Tab S10 FE retains the feel and core capabilities of Samsung's high-end S10 tablets, but compromises on the display and the performance
-
Dell names Lisa Ergun as new Client Solutions Group channel lead for the UKNews Dell Technologies has announced the appointment of Lisa Ergun as its new Client Solutions Group (CSG) channel lead for the UK.
-
Scale of Dell job cuts laid bare as firm sheds 10% of staff in a year
News Dell Technologies’ workforce has reduced significantly in recent years, figures show, with headcount at the tech giant dropping by 10% in 2025 alone.
-
Dell Technologies just revamped its Partner Program for 2025 – here's what to expectNews Dell Technologies has unveiled its revamped Partner Program for 2025, offering a range of new incentives for partners.
-
'Nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction': Dell orders staff back into the office as the company shakes up hybrid working practicesNews Dell Technologies has ordered staff to return to the office five days a week, according to reports, with some exceptions allowed for staff located too far from physical office sites.
-
Meta layoffs hit staff at WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs divisionsNews The 'year of efficiency' for Mark Zuckerberg continues as Meta layoffs affect staff in key business units
-
Business execs just said the quiet part out loud on RTO mandates — A quarter admit forcing staff back into the office was meant to make them quitNews Companies know staff don't want to go back to the office, and that may be part of their plan with RTO mandates
-
Microsoft tells staff it won’t follow Amazon or Dell on enforcing a return to the office – but there’s a catchNews While other big tech companies are forcing reluctant workforces back into the office, Microsoft isn’t following suit
-
Amazon workers aren’t happy with the company’s controversial RTO scheme – and they’re making their voices heardNews An internal staff survey at Amazon shows many workers are unhappy about the prospect of a full return to the office
