Arvind Krishna

Arvind Krishna
Born	23 11, 1962
Birthplace	West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO, IBM
Known for	Leading IBM's hybrid cloud and AI strategy; principal architect of the Red Hat acquisition
Education	University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (PhD)

Arvind Krishna (born November 23, 1962) is an Indian-American business executive who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of IBM, one of the world's largest technology companies. He assumed the role of CEO on April 6, 2020, succeeding Ginni Rometty, and became chairman of IBM's board of directors in January 2021. Krishna joined IBM in 1990 at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center and spent three decades at the company before being elevated to its top position, during which time he held a series of increasingly senior technical and managerial roles. He is recognized as the principal architect of IBM's $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat in 2019, the largest acquisition in the company's history, a deal that reshaped IBM's strategic direction toward hybrid cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Under Krishna's leadership, IBM has undergone significant transformation, refocusing on cloud computing, AI, and quantum computing while divesting its managed infrastructure services business. As of 2025, IBM's stock had risen approximately 159% since Krishna took over as CEO.

Early Life

Arvind Krishna was born on November 23, 1962, in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He grew up in India and pursued his education in the country before moving to the United States for advanced studies. Krishna has been described as part of an expanding group of Indian-origin executives who have risen to lead major global technology corporations, a cohort that includes leaders at companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Adobe.

Details about Krishna's family background and childhood remain limited in public reporting. What is known is that he demonstrated early aptitude in science and technology, ultimately securing admission to the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), one of India's most competitive engineering institutions. His educational trajectory from a town in Andhra Pradesh to IIT Kanpur and later to the United States reflected a path taken by many Indian technology leaders of his generation, one shaped by India's rigorous engineering education system and the draw of American graduate research programs.

Krishna's appointment to lead IBM in 2020 was received with celebration in Indian industry and academic circles. Industry leaders and peers in India raised a toast to the news, viewing it as another milestone in the growing global influence of Indian-educated executives in the technology sector.

Education

Krishna earned his Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He subsequently moved to the United States, where he pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, one of the leading computer science and engineering research institutions in the country. He earned a PhD from the University of Illinois, with his research focusing on electrical engineering.

His academic background in engineering and technology provided the foundation for his long career in technology research and development at IBM. Krishna's dual educational pedigree — an undergraduate degree from one of India's premier technical institutes and a doctorate from a top American research university — is characteristic of a generation of Indian-born technology executives who leveraged academic excellence to build careers in the U.S. technology industry.

Career

Early Career at IBM (1990–2015)

Arvind Krishna joined IBM in 1990 at the company's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM's primary research laboratory located in Yorktown Heights, New York. His entry into the company through its research division placed him at the center of IBM's efforts in emerging technologies. Over the course of more than two decades, Krishna held a variety of technical and management roles within the company, building deep expertise in cloud computing, data analytics, and enterprise software systems.

During his years in research and development, Krishna was involved in building and managing several of IBM's key technology businesses. He oversaw work related to IBM's information management, security, and data analytics platforms. His work during this period spanned areas that would later become central to IBM's strategic pivot, including cloud infrastructure, cognitive computing, and artificial intelligence.

In January 2015, Krishna was promoted to senior vice president of IBM, a role that placed him among the company's most senior leadership. In this capacity, he took on responsibility for IBM Cloud & Cognitive Software as well as IBM Research, two divisions that were increasingly important to the company's future direction.

Red Hat Acquisition

Krishna is credited as the principal architect of IBM's acquisition of Red Hat, the open-source enterprise software company, for approximately $34 billion. The deal, announced in October 2018 and completed in July 2019, was the largest acquisition in IBM's history and one of the largest in the history of the technology industry.

The Red Hat acquisition represented a strategic bet on hybrid cloud computing — a model in which enterprises use a combination of on-premises data centers and public cloud services. By acquiring Red Hat, IBM gained control of a major provider of open-source enterprise Linux and Kubernetes-based cloud platforms, positioning the company to compete more directly with cloud computing rivals such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Krishna's role in conceiving and executing this deal was a significant factor in his selection as Rometty's successor.

Appointment as CEO

On January 30, 2020, IBM's board of directors announced that Krishna would succeed Ginni Rometty as CEO, effective April 6, 2020. The announcement came alongside the news that Rometty, who had led the company since 2012, would retire at the end of 2020. The decision was described by some observers as a surprise, as Krishna was not considered the most publicly visible candidate for the role.

Krishna assumed the position of CEO on April 6, 2020, at a time when the global economy was facing significant disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenging circumstances of his first months in office, Krishna moved to accelerate IBM's strategic transformation. In January 2021, he was additionally named chairman of IBM's board of directors, consolidating the company's top leadership roles.

Strategic Transformation of IBM

Under Krishna's leadership, IBM undertook several major structural and strategic changes. A central element of his strategy was a sharper focus on hybrid cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the two areas he identified as the company's primary growth platforms.

In November 2020, IBM announced it would spin off its managed infrastructure services unit into a separate publicly traded company, later named Kyndryl, which began trading independently in November 2021. The move was intended to allow IBM to concentrate on its higher-margin cloud and AI businesses.

Krishna also oversaw IBM's expansion into quantum computing, positioning the company as a leader in the development of quantum hardware and quantum software platforms for enterprise use. By 2025, quantum computing had become a key element of IBM's long-term technology roadmap.

Artificial Intelligence Strategy

AI has been a central theme of Krishna's tenure as CEO. He has positioned IBM as both a provider of AI tools and platforms for enterprises and a commentator on AI's broader societal implications. IBM's watsonx platform, launched under Krishna's leadership, represents the company's generative AI and machine learning offering for enterprise customers.

In 2023, Krishna stated that IBM expected AI to replace approximately 7,800 back-office jobs, particularly in human resources functions, a statement that attracted significant media attention. However, by 2026, IBM reversed course, announcing plans to triple entry-level hiring across the United States, with the company's HR leadership indicating a more nuanced approach to AI-driven workforce changes.

In December 2025, Krishna discussed the economics of large-scale AI infrastructure, noting that building a 100-gigawatt artificial general intelligence (AGI) push could cost approximately $8 trillion, a figure he described as "today's number."

AI Policy and Public Engagement

Krishna has been active in public discourse around AI regulation and policy. In October 2025, he spoke with journalists in Washington, D.C. about quantum computing, AI policy, and the role of technology companies in shaping regulatory frameworks.

In a 2026 conversation published by McKinsey & Company, Krishna discussed how leaders can navigate periods of technological volatility, emphasizing the importance of proactive action over reactive responses. "You've got to be willing to 'do,' as opposed to getting disrupted by somebody else," Krishna stated.

IBM's Engagement with India

Krishna has maintained engagement with India throughout his tenure as IBM's CEO. In February 2026, he discussed IBM's growing involvement in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and the city of Lucknow, indicating the company's plans for expanded operations in the region. India has been one of IBM's largest employee bases globally, and Krishna's Indian heritage has contributed to attention around the company's India strategy during his leadership.

Personal Life

Arvind Krishna is an Indian-American citizen. He was born in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, and moved to the United States for his doctoral studies at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Beyond his work at IBM, limited information about Krishna's personal life has been publicly documented. He has maintained a relatively private profile compared to some other prominent technology CEOs.

Krishna holds multiple patents related to technology systems and has been listed as an author on research publications stemming from his early career at IBM Research. He has been recognized as part of the growing community of Indian-origin executives who lead major global corporations, a development that has received significant attention in both American and Indian media.

Recognition

Krishna's appointment as CEO of IBM was covered extensively in global media, with particular attention in India, where it was seen as a continuation of the trend of Indian-origin executives ascending to lead major American technology firms. Industry leaders and peers publicly celebrated the appointment.

Under Krishna's tenure, IBM's stock performance improved substantially. As of September 2025, IBM's stock price had risen approximately 159% since Krishna took over as CEO in April 2020, a period during which the company undertook significant strategic restructuring. This stock performance reflected investor confidence in IBM's pivot toward hybrid cloud computing, AI, and quantum computing under Krishna's direction.

Krishna has been invited to participate in major business forums and media discussions about the future of technology. He has spoken at events and in interviews about topics including AI policy, the economics of data center infrastructure, quantum computing timelines, and the strategic imperatives facing enterprise technology companies.

His role in orchestrating the Red Hat acquisition has been frequently cited as a defining achievement, fundamentally altering IBM's business model and competitive position in the cloud computing market.

Legacy

Arvind Krishna's leadership of IBM represents a significant chapter in the company's more than century-long history. His appointment marked a deliberate shift toward a CEO with a deep technical background, in contrast to predecessors who came from sales or consulting backgrounds within the company. Krishna's expertise in cloud computing and his role in the Red Hat acquisition signaled IBM's intent to redefine itself as a hybrid cloud and AI company.

The $34 billion Red Hat deal, which Krishna conceived and championed, stands as the most consequential corporate transaction in IBM's history. It repositioned the company in the rapidly growing cloud computing market and provided the foundation for IBM's subsequent strategic direction under Krishna's leadership.

Krishna's tenure has also been notable for IBM's engagement with quantum computing. Under his direction, IBM has invested in building quantum computing hardware and developing quantum software tools, positioning the company to capitalize on what many in the technology industry expect to be a transformative computing paradigm.

His public commentary on AI — including both its potential to reshape work and its limitations — has contributed to broader industry and policy discussions. His 2023 remarks about AI replacing back-office jobs and the subsequent 2026 reversal toward expanded hiring illustrate the evolving corporate understanding of how artificial intelligence will affect employment.

As an Indian-American leading one of the oldest and largest American technology companies, Krishna's career trajectory has been noted as emblematic of the significant role Indian-origin executives have come to play in the global technology industry.