Not the workers, not the managers. Why would we? Innovation isn't rewarded. Improvement isn't noticed. So everyone just does what they've always done and nothing ever gets better.
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I bet IBM will still miss the boat when time comes
@f8 No one cares about Albany. Once this quantum buzz dies off or it’s inevitable mismanagement fumbling by the clowns up there they will all be fired. If they can’t find a partner it’s over. You can almost see exactly how this is going to play out. Then they will be playing catch up for next 2 decades to who ever supersedes them. It’s like their business model style always playing copy and catch up.
IBM’s cultural problem is a world class case of micromanagement. And it’s only becoming more pronounced. The topmost technical talents with decades-long proven track records of demonstrated excellence are frequently disciplined for showing initiative or for speaking truth rather than dancing out precisely some fool’s exacting choreography. This micromanagement system separates responsibility from authority. Those whose neck is officially on the line for success or failure aren’t given the authority to effect success. Authority is held jealously by someone multiple rungs up the org chart. Authority flows up. Blame flows down. Thus it has been and always shall be.
Eventually, micromanagement smothers even the most enthusiastic and passionate employees. It just takes a decade or two (or three) to bring even the best of us to our knees. IBM slowly su-ks out the soul and carefully keeps alive the husk to be one more cog in their machine.
That’s exactly the problem. But I’d take it a step further. It’s not just a lack of drive; it’s that the environment in Albany actively discourages it. The system isn’t set up to reward better engineering, stronger execution, or real semiconductor progress. It rewards people who understand how to navigate the internal politics.
When the people who push actual innovation get overlooked, and the ones who advance are those who manage perception, alliances, and messaging, you end up with exactly what we’re seeing. It’s not that people can’t make things better, it’s that there’s no incentive to do so, and in some cases, it can even work against you.
So instead of focusing on advancing the product or solving hard technical problems, the focus shifts to playing the game. And once that becomes the norm, stagnation isn’t surprising, it’s inevitable.
@dv magic quadrant reviews... HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@ag that point of view sounds like mostly sour grapes. A lot of tech companies are restructuring to align with AI-world realities and that is painful to those affected. IBM engineers still lead innovation and quality, as evidenced by product movement up and to the right in magic quadrant reviews in recent years.
@OP There's tons of innovation at IBM. Your mistake is in thinking that IBM's product is hardware or software. It's not. The product is financial engineering (earnings manipulation). When it comes to that, innovation abounds.
Why do I need to be creative? So that the id--t Indian at the collects $100 million spewing hot air out of his a-s, his words are mostly sh-t.
@aa Had.
IBM had some of the greatest engineers.
Over the last few years randomized RAs and shifting roles overseas has really cut into that talent pool. That and the overall comp lacking (salary and benefits) hinders hiring replacements of the same caliber.
Finally the sales team being rotated to entry-level in efforts to reduce cost makes it harder to sell products, even as acquisitions are done.
@a4 is Bob not the most weak, embarassing, un inspiring product name ever? Really if you were a CxO would you spend more than 1 second telling the world you are going with IBM Bob? What happens when the next IBM CEO Robbie "Jesus in a Hoodie" Thomas preaches "progress, not perfection" that tells IBM people "...just ship the ^&*(..." and innovation and quality be damned.
@a3 they are too cheap to even give us cubicles. Think going to a hotel lobby to work. Seriously. Yes be glad you are not at IBM. It is monumental to think they were the Apple-Nvidia-Google-Msft back in the day. Think 40s 50s 60s 70s. ^&*( started to hit the fan in the 80s as they mucked up the dominance they could have had for decades with IBM PC and focused on Japanese mainframe clones Hitachi and Fujitsu vs WINTEL and like JAWS coming up from the bottom BO-M got destroyed.
Saying “nobody has drive” at IBM is just lazy thinking. You don’t stay relevant for over a century by rewarding stagnation. What’s actually happening is a shift away from legacy comfort zones toward AI, automation, and higher-value work, and that kind of transition always exposes people who were coasting under the old model. Innovation is being rewarded, just not in the places some are used to. The company is investing billions into AI and hybrid cloud for a reason, and the people aligned with that direction are the ones driving the next phase. Calling it a lack of drive ignores the reality that IBM is evolving while others are still complaining about it
If people feel that way, it’s a culture issue — not a capability issue. IBM has some of the most talented engineers in the world. The shift happening now is about aligning incentives with innovation again, especially around AI and software.
What about Bob? He's your AI man. Between Bob and Watson who needs people.
Holy schmoly, IBMers, it sounds like a real downer to work there. It must be really depressing to sit in your little open cubicles day after day knowing that today could be the day when they cut you off. I don't think I could work in those conditions, nosireebob. Boy, I can see why OP is lamenting how motivation and morale are so low. I bet even those good folks who write so highly of the CEO and the company direction know deep down that this is one depressing company to work for. And that's sad, putting on airs about how great things are. I sure hope those people aren't going home and drinking themselves to sleep or taking opi--ds and getting all constipated. Ge-z Louise and all, I sure am glad I don't work at IBM no more.