[me_here_alone]

Retired IBM manager here. This has nothing to do with working together. This is another attempt by IBM to get rid of the older workers (again). Most teams are scattered across the world, and in the US they are all over the place. It's just another "Resource Action" targeted at older workers disguised as some kind of great idea to be more productive.

[fred_is_fred]

Exactly - Managers with kids in high school (aka expensive employees) won't move. People who are 25 (aka cheap employees) might. It's been done for years by IBM and many other companies.

When it happened at my job 20+ years ago this was the exact pattern - good news for me is that I was 23 and wanted to move (new city matched my lifestyle much better). Only 1 person in my org who was in their 40s (based on my guess) out of 20 moved. He was single with no kids. All of my same-aged friends did move as well. At least then the paid severance if you didn't take the offer.

[leotravis10]

ProPublica has a great report from 2018 on IBM cutting the heads of older workers that is still relevant: https://features.propublica.org/ibm/ibm-age-discrimination-a...