#future

Check-out #2 on the list. . .

https://time.com/7333715/best-companies-future-leaders-2026/

IBM will continue layoffs until it finds a business model that works and works reliably for many years. For the last two decades, Software, Hardware, and Services have taken turns playing the IBM not-me game. I won’t make profit, but I will amplify that other team which will directly own your profit. Without my synergy, you will surely fail, so you must keep me. Every couple years, a new profit maker is anointed and a new round of the game begins.

Even if they find a model, it needs to work reliably for many years. Not so long ago at the beginning of Watson (AI), a Watson kick-off meeting was held in Austin for the entire Watson management team. The business plan presented would rapidly accelerate to stratospheric heights in 3 or better yet 2 years and remain there for 20-30 years before starting a gradual and still profitable decline. Commoditization utterly destroyed this plan and business in 18 months. Models fail even faster in 2025.

In a world of cheap vanilla-grade CPUs, RAM, networking, and storage and completely free software, it’s hard to find a higher grade product that people will pay for outside of regulated businesses. And those who do unquestionably need the value add point to the cheap stuff and demand lower pricing. And the cowards in sales fear losing 100% of their commission and decide that a steep discount benefits both them and their client.

This is nothing new; it’s just come to IBM’s corner of tech now. In the 80’s there was a battle between two consumer video storage systems: Betamax and VHS. The cheaper — in both senses — won out. There were superior alternatives to Compact Discs for audiophiles, but the CD wiped them off the market. MP3 audio compression is terrible, but it dominated the music streaming and download business for a long time.

All 3 of IBM’s pillars (Hardware, Services, and Software) have experienced their own versions of this. That’s why they play not-me. IBM has 3 future strategies. Hybrid Cloud, which can’t sustain an IBM-sized business. AI which is already deep into the commoditization spiral and has as an industry accumulated over a trillion dollars in debt. IBM has already stepped off the AI stage, preferring to serve as high-end salesmen for partners’ actual products packaged up with an IBM bow. Quantum Computing: how many non-governmental clients will actually need this capability badly enough to shoulder some risk, finance the development costs, and pay ongoing support. Quantum computing could be the opening for IBM to become the CocaCola Bottling company of tech — providing a low-profit product that makes others fabulously wealthy.

Until these things change, IBM will have to undergo periodic amputations. When it ends in one or more passes through Bankruptcy Court, then we will discover how bad things can get.

A once failing tech company called Apple righted itself for a while by leaving the tech industry and joining the fickle fashion industry. Is there another industry where centenarian IBM might fit well?

Buckle up folks … and prepare for turbulence for the duration of the flight.

Perfectly said, @tq+1kb1metdd.

SJ is the biggest liabilty for Pearson. Future of Pearson revolves around her being replaced by a leader who respects and values staff.

The company isn’t ruling out additional reductions across different functions over the next two years as it ramps up usage of the technology, according to people familiar with the matter. McKinsey is also closely assessing what tasks can be carried out by AI, the people said, declining to be identified as the details are private.

https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/mckinsey-cuts-about-200-tech-jobs-shifts-more-roles-to-ai

Layoff’s are one of the main tools to boost a companies stock price.
Now that we are doing that with some more room to go, the price has risen 48% YTD.
Again, there’ll be another round or two of layoffs of that I’m sure.

So the question is, after its all said and done and the stock is at whatever price its at…..does it flatline, go up or does it go down. A stock price bump is easy to achieve with even the announcement of the word “layoff” much less when you actually do it. So now that we are there….what does it look like going forward?

Does it have legs to keep running or does it drop over time back to where it was 2-3 years ago?

Any ideas how long will Chicago and St.Louis continue?

What do you think Verizon will look like?

Will it even exist?

Reports last week was 15K, actual number was 13k. Is it possible there will be no more major layoffs for 2026 at VZ?

What’s going to happen to Optum in the long run?

Please dont turn this into a political thread. Both parties are disgusting and colluding to fu-k the worker.

US based Tier 2 tech department just got extremely thinned out. More and more US based employees are being let go. Think about your future because Verizon won’t. If you havnt heard anything by EOD I’d stop stressing as 30 day notice is Dec 19th which is our final date.

And that's supposed to be the future. There really isn't any rhyme or reason to this thing.

With companies like IBM laying off thousands —
Microsoft laid off 9,000, Amazon ousted 14,000,
Accenture about 11,000 — it might be time to
seriously consider the future of this
displacement.
We won't be holding our breath.

https://www.bgr.com/2025199/ibm-tried-replace-workforce-ai/

My AD contacted me and He asked to schedule a meet with some vendors next week. Was this BAU and pretending nothing is going on or a sign of being safe?

I continue to hear rumors about an upcoming future layoffs AND a merger. I'm hearing that the VSP and additional layoffs are being done to position us well for a merger (GuideWell???).

Any insights as to what the future holds for R2B? Only a couple months into my tenure (Sr Mgr) and very concerned.

So much for jobs coming back to the US. Mid and entry level jobs are disappearing by the tens of thousands and the trend is accelerating thanks to enhanced AI and its adoption across the jobs universe. Finance, law, entertainment are all in its crosshairs and the only people benefitting are those who can afford to play in the stock market. It’s time to rethink what’s happening around us.

The fanatical obsession with meeting next quarter's numbers to mollify Wall Street is diametrically opposed to being a strong innovation company. The linkage between end customers and CRL and Divisions was very strong for decades. It covered all businesses. Major advances in road sign and road paint to improve nighttime visibility was a classic win-win. Think how many lives have been saved. Just pulled my winter gloves out for the first real cold blast of early Winter and love seeing Thinsulate.

Desi may have been a so-so CEO and perhaps a good example of Peter Principle, but the innovation didn't die with him. The problem began with James McNerney. He's the one who decided the penny-wise pound-foolish strategy of starving CRL to pay for bigger dividends or buying back shares was a winning strategy. WS loved the guy. Employees not so. Other than a 20% boost in 3M share price the week he was announced in 2000, the share price didn't beat the SP500 by much for the rest of his failed tenure. Inge borrowing billions to buyback shares and scare off activist investors saved his and Mike's job but left the company starved of new blockbusters.

Like Field of Dreams (build it and he will come), for CRL is needs to be "invent it and customers will come" - BBs obsession with NPIs only breeds game-playing (how about a peach colored sticky note, any one?). When Desi pushed for 30% of sales from new products, he at least fully funded CRL. BB, nope!

Just happy I somehow made it to the right age/experience to get pension and retiree medical support (although BB is sc--wing people over to be "competitive"). I see no future left with this place. Just pump it full of painkiller and break it off into pieces and hope the divisions don't end up with a Bryan Hanson 40 million dollar man doing what he's doing to wreck SOLV.

Perfectly said, @z9+1k9bbemrv.

People who are having extended life, wait until Q1 2026 round?
60K 2026 is the new normal?

If your job can be done from home then it can be replaced by either AI or offshoring. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be mean but blue collar is all that will be left in the near future.

How many of us will be replaced by AI in the next few years?

Any indication on what bonuses will be in spring of 2026? I need for SOMETHING to look forward to

What are your predictions about the workforce in Legal, TAP, and Corporates?

Ultimately it’s probably better to find out now than waste more time. He’s a multi millionaire that is dangling layoffs and leaving everyone in the dark to punk us. What type of leaders makes those types of threats during the holidays? A bad one that is just a hatchet man that was sent to dismantle Verizon and dump on us. That’s the corporate life and the real world. He’s been on the board for multiple years he’s not looking to grow the company. He’s looking to drive shareholder value so he can exit and get a nice payout. If your store doesn’t close this time it will soon. The future is 100% online with AI. Buy a phone anywhere and then activate online. Hopefully you get a nice payout and then move on retail is dead.

Does your Band 5 or Band 6 make the final call on your future ?

Are we done for w/in next 24 months?

Can we agree that data centers will be be farmed out.

Can we agree that customer facing jobs are safe, but only untill kiosk improvements are completed and we are looking at a wave of cuts there in Q2 of 2026.

What am I missing?

This article came out in 2018 after a VSP. It is surprisingly accurate on how things would go at Verizon.

https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/open-letter-to-44000-verizon-employees.html

Ford does not have any future vehicles posted on their website except something most customers cannot afford nor do they want. Holy smoke

https://www.ford.com/future-vehicles/?gnav=footer-all-vehicles

I remember about a year ago on this platform someone posted that AI would be taking jobs away from employees. Boy, was there a pushback on this point.

Many of the posts and reactions were never in a million years would AI be taking anybody's job.

Well maybe some of those in a state of denial can contact any one of the 4000 employees at Salesforce who got displaced to see what they have to say about it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/02/salesforce-ceo-confirms-4000-layoffs-because-i-need-less-heads-with-ai.html

The worst move we can make is to stick our heads in the sand and kid ourselves that we are so vital, nothing can take our jobs. The much better move would be to be in the group that "figures out how we can use AI to make our positions more valuable".

AI won't be replacing jobs that use AI but rather it will be replacing jobs that DONT use AI.

In the meantime here a sampling of just a few of the companies who already deployed AI to the detriment of employees in 2025 - the wave is coming.

By 2030..... well for those who continue to be deniers, you won't recognize how much the workforce has changed in just 5 years - things will change in the blink of an eye.... please get yourselves ready for what is to come

https://tech.co/news/companies-replace-workers-with-ai

Which caused voluntary attrition. Don’t get me wrong, they did lay some employees off but not on the same scale as meta, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.

What does the future hold for T? Do you all think they will start more structured layoffs in the years to come?

How does it look for the forthcoming years in terms of RTO? Are they going to close more non-hubs, open new hubs, force 3 days instead of 5? Who’s got the crystal ball?🔮

EVs are now 10 percent of new car sales in the states, what will this industry be in 15 years will it end up like coal?

Now in the states EV make up 10 percent of new car sales how does this affect Valero in 15 years

New car sales in America are almost at 10 percent EV what does this mean for Exxon and refining in the next 10-15 years

Shell drones and NPC’s it’s that time again to predict and possibly influence the future

What are your predictions for 2026?

Will Shell domicile move from UK to USA for economic reasons or a regional event?
Will Shell purchase another operator?

What assets must Shell divest in order to succeed?
How is Wael being received as a leader of the organization?

Is the organization genuinely invested and rewarding simplicity?

You control the future

How are we doing?
Who's at the helm?
Are we making $$$?
Do they treat the worker better?

Is there a future for the integrated GPU IP team? Is there a plan to use Nvidia IP to replace in house iGPU IP down the line?
How risky is it to be in GPU org after Nvidia partnership?

Will Auchincloss remain as bp CEO beyond 2026 or other candidates better suited to lead the company to prosperity…

Name your candidates and why?