IBM didn't give a lot of details as to why he was giving up but acknowledged his key role in helping bring the 2018 $34 billion Red Hat deal to fruition and helping bring the two companies together after the deal closed. "

"Whitehurst has been instrumental in articulating IBM's strategy, but also, in ensuring that IBM and Red Hat work well together and that our technology platforms and innovations provide more value to our clients," the company stated.

Whitehurst will stay on as a senior advisor to IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, but it begs the question of why he is leaving after such a short time in the role, and what he plans to do next.

However, there might be nothing to it. Normally after a deal of this magnitude closes, there is an agreement as to how long key executives will stay. It could be simply that the period has expired and Whitehurst wants to find a nice beach somewhere.

However, others saw him as Krishna's successor which makes the move a surprise when looked at in that context.