[mrj]

Well, they let go of a lot of people with actual skills and knowledge because they made too much money. People with the know-how (my Dad being one of them) saw the writing on the wall decades ago and hit the door even before being pushed out due to age.

They're absolutely embarrassing now. They've lost too many good people and everybody knows what IBM's about now. They can focus on hiring Millenials all they want, but which early-stage workers would really want to go to IBM? They know what it'll be like. Lots of outsourcing, bureaucracy and bad decisions. Not many would choose IBM over another offer.

Screwing over the workforce has consequences.

[bsder]

IBM also created a lot of voluntary RIF (reduction in force) programs in the 1990's. The goal was to get rid of managers and deadwood.

Of course, the technical people were always the first to jump at the opportunity to take cash and leave. Often, they walked back in to IBM the next Monday as a contractor.

IBM upper management eventually figured out that the managers weren't going to move--even an extra year at a manager salary dwarfed the program payout--and the deadwood wasn't going to move--they knew they had no other options-- and killed the programs.

[drdeadringer]

> everybody knows what IBM's about now

I don't work for, nor have I applied to work for, IBM so maybe I'm more dense than my question illustrates... but what is IBM about these days as you mention? Please help me get rid of the rock over my head on this topic.

[rhizome]

but what is IBM about these days as you mention?

Since they sold off their consumer hardware businesses, it's all about their Global Services consulting and a little bit of big iron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer).

[mrj]

Well, that's pretty much my point. There was a time when they dominated everything. Now they've sunk to such irrelevance that I don't know what to say, either. They don't have anything I care about.

They're about bad decisions. A cautionary tale to tell young CEOs about mistreating the workforce.

[dominotw]

> They can focus on hiring Millenials all they want,

Millenials would be 40 in just couple of yrs.