Dell has been on a directed path to eliminate the more senior personnel in the organization for multiple years, and replacing them with NCG's. I worked for Dell for over 15 years and was told one day that I was being replaced by a younger person (translates to lower pay/benefits). The rational from the manager was that they thought they could get more work out of the younger person. This was a blatant case of age discrimination, but without a recording of the conversations it was no use to pursue, and as a salaried exempt person it would have gone nowhere anyway. I watched as some of the most talented people in the design and operations groups were systematically eliminated and replaced by unqualified personnel, and while I was still working there, was required to train these people to get them up to speed. Dell is on a death spiral and I'm glad I'm out of there. I've since moved on to a new company where my contributions are acknoledged and appreciated. Glad I'm out of there. The real death blow will come from the combination of Dell and EMC. Having worked with EMC in the past, I know the culture and it will not meld into the Dell quick buck, low investment is research mindset.