Nutanix CEO: Dell, not Cisco, gets first pop at acquisition

Nutanix denies rumors of Cisco acquisition and cosies up to its ally Dell

Dell, not Cisco, would get the first dibs on Nutanix should it put itself up for sale, its chief executive Dheeraj Pandey has confirmed.

In a letter addressed to "Team Dell", Pandey said that Dell would have the first opportunity to acquire Nutanix, pouring cold water on reports that Cisco was on the verge of snapping up the startup.

"If we ever decide to be a part of another company, Dell will have a front-row seat in bidding for it," Pandey wrote. "That is my word to Michael Dell and a part of our agreement. We don't want a bidding frenzy."

Pandey added that Nutanix is "firmly" committed to its partnership with Dell and vice versa.

The letter comes after predictions published last week said that Cisco CEO John Chambers would move to buy Nutanix and the announcement "may" come in June.

According to Pandey, there is "no truth to those rumours".

"Competition sees this as an opportunity to seed doubt amongst genuine allies," the CEO said. "As I've always said, let's move the enemy from within to the outside."

Nutanix is working toward becoming a public company in the near future, Pandey said.