12 / 22    

Portfolio's Worst American CEOs of All Time

While the rest of the world was moving toward personal computing, ­Akers remained stuck in the mainframe age, never quite figuring out what to do with IBM at a critical point in the tech industry’s evolution. Many outsiders viewed Akers as being in over his head. IBM was paralyzed by his lack of decisiveness.

THE STAT: Akers stepped down shortly after the company announced a $4.97 billion net loss for 1992.

IBM Company Website