Robert Palmer, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Digital Equipment, said he will leave the company.
Palmer's announcement apparently was timed to coincide with Compaq outlining management changes that reflect the integration of Compaq with Digital and Compaq's Tandem division.
An official said the 57-year-old Palmer offered no reason for his departure. "His decision to leave was a personal one," the spokesman said. "He has no plans to retire, and there's no shortage of other things out there for him to do."
Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq's president and CEO, praised Palmer for guiding Digital through "one of the most difficult and important periods in its history."
Compaq announced its intention to acquire Digital in January for $US9.6 billion, creating an IT giant capable of delivering everything from low-cost PCs to high-end, enterprise systems based on Digital's 64-bit Alpha processor.