The Rise and Fall of the 'IBM Way'
Once synonymous with business computing, IBM is now seen by many younger technologists as a vague legacy brand whose products and role in the industry are hard to identify. Commenters contrast its historic engineering achievements, mainframes, and research talent with a modern reality of bureaucracy, overcomplex enterprise solutions, weak consumer presence, and missed opportunities in PCs, the internet, cloud, and AI. Some argue IBM’s decline reflects broader structural shifts—from vertically integrated hardware firms to commoditized, cloud-driven “tech”—while others see it as a cautionary tale of financial engineering, risk aversion, and culture ossifying over time.
Perceived Relevance and Public Awareness
- Many commenters dispute the article’s framing that IBM’s relevance can be judged by whether Gen Z understands what IBM does.
- Several note IBM was once consumer-visible (typewriters, PCs, Selectric, Model M, PS/2), but now mostly sells to enterprises, so obscurity among laypeople is expected.
- Within large-enterprise IT (banks, insurers, telcos), IBM is still widely known; in Silicon Valley “product tech” circles, far less so.
From Hardware Icon to Services Giant
- There is debate whether IBM “always” was a services company versus evolving from business machines (time clocks, typewriters, punch-card gear) and mainframes into services and consulting.
- Some frame IBM’s trajectory as a slow failure to adapt to commodified hardware and open-source software; others see it as a natural shedding of vertical integration (making even screws and paint) once the ecosystem matured.
- Several note IBM repeatedly missed or underexploited major waves (PCs, Internet, cloud, AI) despite early presence.
Culture of Complexity, Bureaucracy, and Sales
- Many harsh accounts of IBM Global Services: overly complex, heavily proprietary solutions that lock customers in and require armies of consultants.
- Stories describe huge, ritualized meetings, “schedule chicken,” risk-averse decision-making, and consultants optimizing for headcount and billable hours.
- Complaints include weak field implementations, mediocre contractor code, and aggressive sales tactics misaligned with actual customer needs.
Technical Excellence and Research
- Multiple commenters stress IBM still has or had world-class technical talent (Fellows, researchers, mainframe engineers) on par with other top firms.
- IBM Research is portrayed as impressive but often disconnected from the revenue-generating parts of the company.
- Mainframes and certain products (e.g., LTO tape, some storage, DB2) are respected for reliability and engineering rigor.
Leadership, Strategy, and Legacy
- Some criticize IBM leadership as “financial engineers” focused on short-term numbers, bureaucracy, and risk minimization rather than bold bets.
- Others see IBM as ideologically committed to a high-reliability, big-vendor model that clashes with today’s commodity cloud culture.
- Comparisons are drawn to HP’s decline and spinouts; several lament the loss of classic engineering cultures and express nostalgia for IBM’s past products and stature.