Citation
Acquisition of the IBM PC Business by Lenovo
TL;DR
IBM sold PC division (ThinkPad, ThinkCentre) to Lenovo in 2005
This documents IBM's first major strategic apoptosis event: the December 2004 announcement and May 2005 completion of selling the PC division to Lenovo for $1.75 billion. The deal included ThinkPad and ThinkCentre brands, approximately 10,000 employees, and manufacturing facilities.
For business readers, this transaction demonstrates healthy apoptosis: the business was packaged systematically, transferred without destroying value, and freed IBM to focus on higher-growth areas.
Key Findings from contributors (2024)
- IBM sold PC division (ThinkPad, ThinkCentre) to Lenovo in 2005
- Sale price: $1.75 billion ($1.25 billion cash plus $500 million assumed debt)
- Approximately 10,000 employees transferred
- Manufacturing facilities included in deal