Company News: Dell, Lufthansa, Amtrak, T-Mobile, Candymakers

Blackstone Group and billionaire Carl Icahn want to take Dell private—but neither wants to keep founder Michael Dell on as CEO. Both proposals value the company higher than the $24.4 billion buyout offered by Silver Lake Management and Michael Dell, who started the company three decades ago, putting pressure on the executive to sweeten his terms or switch allegiances. He oversaw the company’s rise to the top of the PC industry, yet failed to prepare for new challenges from mobile technology and high-margin business services. While Blackstone doesn’t want Dell to be CEO, it has invited him to use his 15.6 percent ownership stake in the computer maker to join their buyout as a shareholder.

Deutsche Lufthansa wants to start a new venture to hold on to market share on routes to Asia. Rival carriers in the Gulf, including regional leader Emirates, are using their home bases as intercontinental transfer hubs for flights to and from dozens of cities across India, China, and other Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Lufthansa is considering forming an intercontinental low-cost subsidiary or making an alliance with a Middle Eastern or Asian competitor.