Dell Trash Talks HP's Breakup Plan: 'It's Complex, Distracting, And Only Beneficial To Shareholders'

While there's been lots of talk around HP's decision to split itself into two separate businesses this week, no one has been more blunt than its long-time rival Dell in slamming it as a bad move.

In an email statement to Bloomberg, Dell's spokesman David Fink said, "HP's decision to break apart its business is complex, distracting and appears to benefit HP and its shareholders more than its customers."

Fink also made sure to put a positive spin on it, saying, "Dell is singularly focused on its customers and partners and is committed to providing end-to-end IT solutions that they need."

According to Fortune, Fink also spoke to the Austin American-Statesman and stressed that other companies have "often taken years to complete" similar break up plans in the past.

However, that Fortune article claims that Dell's statement is just a payback to a disparaging comment HP had made last year right after Dell turned itself private. In February 2013, HP released a statement saying Dell's plan to go private puts it in an "extended period of uncertainty" and it will "not be good for its customers."

In fact, the two companies have long been involved in what Fortune calls a "war of words," and this is just an extension of their fight over each other's customers.

On Monday, HP announced that it would split into two companies comprised of a PC/printer segment and a corporate hardware/services business. It remains to be seen how the split off will pan out, but there's no question it's a massive restructuring, as both sides recorded over $50 billion in sales last year.