In previous IBM acquisitions, how long did it take before layoffs started? And I'm talking about layoffs at acquired company.
Also, did layoffs focus specifically on duplicated positions or was there a general RIF to reduce the operational costs of the acquired company?
I would really appreciate an answer, just to have some idea of what to expect in the future.
Ask some previous Truven employee's how quick that goes down. Lightening fast
Knowing what happened down in Dallas with Softlayer I would say it's coming pretty darn soon.
I think it's reasonably likely that IBM will layoff all of their existing useless Cloud Development staff, and re-convene around Red Hat.
About a year, but certain people were targeted sooner. They just disappeared, no announcement or bluster. Just gone one day.
So, there is usually a 'no fire' clause in the sale that buys you a year or so - some 12 months, some 24, but none longer than that. Once that's done, expect back-office functions to get consolidated first.
But for the RH one, I expect the opposite - existing IBM staff will be RA'd. There's too many entrenched interests there - stupid corporate stuff that's long outlived it's usefulness. The only way to kill some of those programs (e.g. internal certifications, etc campaign, academy of technology, and such) is to whack the entire org that does it. This is the perfect time to not only shed a bunch of the legacy products, but the legacy practices too - if the company is smart enough to do it.
If they don't though, plan on leaving within about 2 years.
Welcome to the IBM collar jobs initiative!!! Will you work for a handful of rice. Excellent. How about a 1/2 a handful. Even better Looks like drinks all around for the exec management team
When we got acquired it took about a year before IBM played musical chair with all the managers moving in IBM managers that had no clue what they were taking over.
Shortly after that the bluewashing and chopping started, many of the brighter stars jumped ship and moved to google when they saw what was happening. What was left after the smoke cleared was just a shell of its former self and the products were hammered into blue shape renamed to one of the ibm brand lines and sold in barely working poorly integrated with the rest of the brand state.
Even worse product support was given to IBM Helpless so customers got great service too.
Not long after development was offshored as well.
Ibm constantly does the reorganization/reinvent itself thing to blow more smoke at investors and each iteration comes with a swinging axe.
Was I happy and excited when we got assimilated, yes,
Was I happy and still working there a few years later, not so much.
Not what I was hoping to hear, but thank you for responding. It's good to know either way.
They focus first on employees over 50. Your assignment will change dramatically and you will get put on a PIP. Once the Bluedipping starts you will see added layers of management added primarily with well.connected IBMers. Legacy players will see their career path vanish and find themselves out on PiP. After two or three bad quarters the ibm folks will "get rid of the dead wood" on their teams and replace them with ever younger, cheaper and utterly clueless drones. At this point your old company no longer exists and has become just another bloated, aimless IBM division. As sales and profit decline they will keep hiring younger and cheaper people and offspring resources until no one is around who even remembers what made the acquired company successful in the first place. At that point it's just a numbers game as "x" number of employees are cut loose to produce "y" $ in savings.