Pennant Systems

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)

IBM logo
Company type	Public
Industry	Technology
Founded	June 16, 1911 (1911-06-16) in Endicott, New York, United States
Founder	Charles Ranlett Flint (founder of CTR, precursor to IBM)
Headquarters	Armonk , United States
Area served	Worldwide (more than 175 nations)
Key people	Lou Gerstner (former CEO), Thomas J. Watson Sr. (former president)
Products	Computing hardware and software, IT services, supercomputers, research and development in AI and quantum computing
Number of employees	Not specified
Parent	None
Website	www.ibm.com

International Business Machines Corporation—commonly known as IBM and often referred to as Big Blue—is a multinational technology enterprise based in Armonk, New York. The company operates in more than 175 nations worldwide. IBM is publicly listed and forms part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It holds the distinction of being the largest industrial research organization globally, with 19 research centers spread across twelve countries. Remarkably, IBM has maintained the highest number of U.S. patents granted annually by a single company for 29 straight years, from 1993 through 2021.

The company was originally established in 1911 under the name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) before adopting the name "International Business Machines" in 1924. IBM rose to prominence as the foremost producer of punch-card tabulating machines and dominated the computing landscape during the 1960s and 1970s, especially with its IBM mainframe systems such as the IBM System/360. At its zenith, IBM was responsible for manufacturing 80% of computers in the United States and 70% worldwide, spearheading a wide array of applications for both business and scientific computing.

IBM ventured into the personal computer sector in 1981 with the release of the IBM Personal Computer, introducing DOS software developed by Microsoft that became an industry benchmark. The company later achieved success with portable devices like the ThinkPad. Since the 1990s, IBM has concentrated its efforts on IT services, software solutions, supercomputing technologies, and research initiatives, divesting its PC division to Lenovo in 2005. The firm continues to innovate in mainframe development and maintains leadership in supercomputer rankings. In 2018, IBM was one of several Fortune 500 companies that benefited from a federal tax rate reduced to zero or below due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

As one of the oldest and most substantial players in technology, IBM has been at the forefront of numerous innovations including the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), DRAM, floppy disk, Generalized Markup Language, hard disk drive, magnetic stripe card, relational database systems, SQL programming language, and Universal Product Code (UPC). The company actively pursues advancements in semiconductor technology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure. Throughout its history, IBM employees have been awarded six Nobel Prizes and six Turing Awards for their significant contributions to research and invention.

1910s–1950s

IBM’s origins trace back to several late-19th-century innovations such as Julius E. Pitrap’s computing scale (1885), Alexander Dey’s dial recorder (1888), Herman Hollerith’s Electric Tabulating Machine (1889), and Willard Bundy’s time clock (1889). On June 16, 1911, these four enterprises were consolidated by Charles Ranlett Flint into the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR), headquartered in Endicott, New York. This newly formed organization employed roughly 1,300 individuals and operated offices and manufacturing facilities across New York, Ohio, Michigan, Washington D.C., and Toronto.

CTR produced a variety of items including commercial weighing scales, industrial time recorders, meat and cheese slicers, tabulating machines, and punched cards. Thomas J. Watson Sr., after leaving the National Cash Register Company (NCR), joined CTR as general manager in 1914 and ascended to president within a year. Leveraging NCR’s innovative sales methods, Watson introduced vigorous sales incentives alongside a customer-centric approach and cultivated a strong corporate culture centered on loyalty and pride. His motto "THINK" became emblematic of IBM’s ethos. Under Watson’s guidance, revenues reached $9 million by 1919 while international expansion extended to Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.

Dissatisfied with the original company name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, Watson rebranded it as International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924. By 1933 most subsidiaries had consolidated under this single corporate identity.

IBM’s German branch—Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen GmbH (Dehomag)—provided punch card equipment extensively utilized by the Nazi government for census operations integral to their regime’s control mechanisms during the Holocaust. Documentation reveals that IBM maintained business relations with Nazi Germany throughout World War II. Concentration camps operated Hollerith departments equipped with IBM machinery for data processing purposes.

During World War II, IBM produced approximately 346,500 M1 Carbine rifles (accounting for about 6% of total U.S. production) between 1943 and 1944 while also developing the electromechanical Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator. In 1952 IBM introduced its first commercial stored-program computer—the vacuum tube-based IBM 701. The subsequent launch of the IBM 305 RAMAC in 1956 marked the debut of the hard disk drive. Starting in 1958, IBM shifted to transistorized models with its 7000 and 1400 series; notably, the latter became IBM’s inaugural computer model to surpass ten thousand units sold.

In 1956 IBM demonstrated early artificial intelligence capabilities when Arthur L. Samuel programmed an IBM 704 to improve through experience during checkers gameplay. The following year saw the creation of FORTRAN—a scientific programming language that proved essential for both business and technical computing applications.

1960s–1980s

In 1961, IBM created the SABRE reservation system for American Airlines and introduced the widely successful Selectric typewriter. That same year, IBM utilized the IBM 7094 to generate the first computer-synthesized musical piece, "Daisy Bell."

Throughout the 1960s, IBM played a key role in supporting NASA’s space endeavors, contributing to Project Mercury, Gemini, Saturn missions, and the 1969 moon landing. The company designed and produced the Saturn V's Instrument Unit along with the Apollo guidance computers.

On April 7, 1964, IBM unveiled the IBM System/360, a pioneering family of computers covering both commercial and scientific uses across various sizes. This innovation enabled organizations to enhance computing capabilities without needing to rewrite existing software. The subsequent release of the IBM System/370 in 1970 further strengthened IBM’s hold on the mainframe sector through the early 1980s. Operating systems such as OS/VS1, MVS, and middleware like CICS cemented IBM’s near-exclusive position during this time.

In 1969, the U.S. government charged IBM with monopolizing the general-purpose business computer market under the Sherman Antitrust Act. IBM reacted by separating its software and services from hardware sales, which encouraged competition within the software industry. This antitrust case was eventually dismissed by the Department of Justice in 1982.

That same year, IBM engineer Forrest Parry invented the magnetic stripe card, a technology that became fundamental for credit/debit cards and secure access systems. Throughout the 1970s, IBM dominated production of these cards and their associated data processing technologies. In 1974, engineer George J. Laurer created the Universal Product Code. Additionally, in 1981, IBM collaborated with the World Bank to publicly introduce financial swaps through a swap agreement.

IBM entered the microcomputer arena during the 1980s with its launch of the IBM Personal Computer (IBM 5150). This product line had a significant impact on personal computing and became one of IBM’s top-selling offerings. However, because of limited protection over intellectual property, IBM rapidly lost market leadership to emerging compatible manufacturers.

In 1985, IBM teamed up with Microsoft to develop OS/2. Following disagreements, Microsoft withdrew from the partnership; IBM continued OS/2 development independently but was unable to effectively rival Microsoft’s Windows throughout the mid-1990s.

1990s–2000s

Starting in 1991, IBM began reorganizing by spinning off several divisions into independent subsidiaries known as "Baby Blues" to enhance operational efficiency and attract outside investment. These included AdStar (focused on data storage), IBM Application Business Systems (mid-range computers), IBM Enterprise Systems (mainframes), Pennant Systems (large printers), and Lexmark (small printers). Lexmark was soon sold in a leveraged buyout to Clayton & Dubilier.

By September 1992, in response to sharply declining profit margins caused by intense pricing competition, IBM consolidated its non-mainframe and non-midrange PC manufacturing under the newly formed IBM Personal Computer Company (IBM PC Co.). This restructuring ranked among the largest corporate reorganizations at that time. By 1993, IBM PC Co. was further segmented into units such as Ambra Computer Corporation and the IBM Power Personal Systems Group, focusing respectively on clone PCs and PowerPC-based workstations. The ThinkPad series introduced during this period emerged as one of IBM’s most successful notebook lines.

In 1993, IBM reported an $8 billion loss—the largest corporate deficit in U.S. history at that point—and appointed Lou Gerstner from RJR Nabisco as CEO to spearhead its recovery efforts. In 1995, IBM acquired Lotus Software for over $3.5 billion. Despite heavy investment, its Workplace OS initiative was discontinued in 1996.

In 1998, IBM merged its enterprise-oriented Personal Systems Group with Global Services’ personal computer consulting division to form a unified IBM Personal Systems Group. By 1999, facing shrinking retail PC market share against competitors like Compaq and Dell, IBM withdrew from retail sales and dissolved its PC Co., fully integrating operations into Personal Systems Group.

In 2002, IBM bolstered its consulting division by acquiring PwC Consulting for $3.5 billion and folding it into IBM Global Services. In 2004, amid unrelated bribery allegations, IBM ended its South Korean joint venture with LG Electronics; LG’s Xnote laptop line originated from this collaboration.

Maintaining focus on high-value services rather than commodity manufacturing, IBM divested its personal computer business to Lenovo and purchased software company SPSS Inc. in 2009. That year also saw IBM’s Blue Gene supercomputing initiative honored with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama.

2010s–present

IBM captured worldwide attention in 2011 with its artificial intelligence system Watson, which triumphed on Jeopardy! against renowned champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. That same year, the company celebrated its centennial anniversary. In 2012, IBM expanded its portfolio by acquiring Kenexa and Texas Memory Systems, followed by the $2 billion acquisition of SoftLayer Technologies, a cloud hosting provider, in 2013. Additionally, IBM developed a video surveillance solution for Davao City during that year.

In 2014, IBM divested its x86 server business to Lenovo for $2.1 billion but maintained its production of servers based on the Power ISA architecture. The company also established numerous strategic alliances with prominent firms including Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Tencent, Cisco, Under Armour, Box, Microsoft, VMware, CSC, Macy's, Sesame Workshop, and Salesforce to enhance its cloud computing and AI offerings.

By 2015, IBM transitioned its semiconductor division to a fabless operation by outsourcing manufacturing to GlobalFoundries. That year witnessed acquisitions such as Merge Healthcare for $1 billion, data storage specialist Cleversafe, and digital assets from The Weather Company encompassing Weather.com and The Weather Channel app. IBM employees also produced the molecular animation A Boy and His Atom. In 2016, IBM acquired Ustream to establish a cloud-based video unit but reported quarterly revenues at a 14-year low. Furthermore, patent litigation with Groupon arose during this period.

IBM furthered its presence in healthcare analytics through the $2.6 billion acquisition of Truven Health Analytics in 2016. In October 2018, the company revealed plans to acquire Red Hat for $34 billion to strengthen its hybrid cloud approach; this transaction was finalized in July 2019.

In February 2020, IBM’s John Kelly III joined Microsoft’s Brad Smith in endorsing a Vatican initiative promoting ethical artificial intelligence practices.

October 2020 saw IBM announce the separation of its Managed Infrastructure Services division into a new publicly traded entity named Kyndryl. This segment included 90,000 employees serving 4,600 clients across 115 countries with an order backlog valued at $60 billion. The spin-off represented IBM’s largest divestiture to date and received positive investor response. Martin Schroeter, who served as IBM CFO from 2014 to 2017, was appointed as Kyndryl’s CEO.

In 2021, IBM acquired Turbonomic, an enterprise software provider, for $1.5 billion. By January 2022, Watson Health was sold to private equity firm Francisco Partners.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, CEO Arvind Krishna declared a halt to all operations in Russia and removed Russian content from IBM’s website. By June 2022, the company began an orderly cessation of activities within the country.

Toward the end of 2022, IBM announced a collaboration with Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Rapidus aimed at advancing chip technology; this partnership subsequently prompted GlobalFoundries to file a lawsuit in 2023 accusing IBM of illicitly transferring trade secrets.

In 2023, IBM enhanced its data governance and AI capabilities through the acquisition of Manta Software Inc. On November 16 of that year, IBM paused advertising on Twitter after corporate advertisements appeared adjacent to pro-Nazi material.

In August 2023, IBM agreed to divest The Weather Company to Francisco Partners; the sale was completed on February 1, 2024 for $1.1 billion—comprising $750 million upfront in cash plus deferred and contingent payments.

December 2023 brought news of IBM acquiring Software AG’s StreamSets and webMethods platforms for €2.13 billion ($2.33 billion), further bolstering its enterprise integration solutions.

Business trends

As of May 2024, IBM's market value surpassed $153 billion. Although it experienced a relative downturn within the technology sector, IBM continues to hold its position as the seventh largest tech company by revenue and ranks 67th among all U.S. companies. The firm was placed 38th on the Fortune 500 list in 2020 based on total revenue. In 2014, IBM attracted scrutiny for employing "financial engineering" tactics to achieve quarterly earnings goals rather than focusing on investments aimed at sustainable growth.

The following table highlights IBM's key financial indicators for fiscal years ending December 31:

Year	Revenue (US$ bn)	Net income (US$ bn)	Employees
2014	92.7	12.0	379,592
2015	81.7	13.1	377,757
2016	79.9	11.8	380,300
2017	79.1	5.7	366,600
2018	79.5	8.7	350,600
2019	77.1	9.4	352,600
2020	73.6	5.5	345,900
2021	57.3	5.7	282,100
2022	60.5	1.6	288,300
2023	61.8	7.5	282,200
2024	62.8	6.0	270,300

Board and shareholders

IBM’s board comprises 15 members who supervise corporate governance; among them are present or former CEOs from Anthem, Dow Chemical, Johnson & Johnson, Royal Dutch Shell, UPS, and Vanguard, alongside Cornell University’s president and a retired admiral from the U.S. Navy. As of March 31, 2023, Vanguard Group stands as IBM’s largest shareholder with a 15.7% stake.

In 2011, Berkshire Hathaway marked its initial technology sector investment by purchasing 64 million IBM shares valued at $10.5 billion. Warren Buffett expanded his stake over subsequent years but had divested nearly all holdings by late 2017 and fully exited the position by May 2018.

Headquarters and offices

IBM’s corporate headquarters are located in Armonk, New York, roughly 37 miles north of Manhattan. The primary facility known as CHQ spans 283,000 square feet and features glass and stone architecture set on a 25-acre parcel within a former apple orchard covering 432 acres acquired in the 1950s. Adjacent properties include the North Castle office complex and the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Center for Learning—a resort-style training venue offering 182 guest rooms and 31 conference spaces.

By 2016, IBM operated across 174 countries worldwide with mobility centers established in smaller markets and extensive campuses situated in major regions. Within New York City, besides CHQ, IBM’s Watson headquarters is positioned at Astor Place. Other prominent U.S.-based campuses are located in Austin (Texas), Research Triangle Park (North Carolina), Rochester (Minnesota), and Silicon Valley (California).

IBM’s international real estate holdings encompass notable towers such as Montreal’s 1250 René-Lévesque and Atlanta’s One Atlantic Center. In Beijing, the company occupies Pangu Plaza—one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city—offering views of the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium.

IBM India Private Limited maintains its headquarters in Bangalore with additional facilities distributed across key cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Gurugram, Hyderabad among others.

Other significant IBM sites include the Rome Software Lab in Italy; Hursley House in the United Kingdom; Cambridge Scientific Center in Massachusetts; Toronto Software Lab in Canada; Johannesburg Building in South Africa; Hakozaki Facility in Tokyo; Yamato Facility in Japan; Canada Head Office in Ontario; and the Watson IoT Headquarters located in Munich. Former locations comprise Somers Office Complex (New York), Spango Valley (Scotland), and Tour Descartes (Paris). IBM’s architectural heritage features designs by renowned architects such as Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe—whose Chicago building received the National Building Museum Honor Award in 1990—I.M. Pei, and Ricardo Legorreta.

Products

IBM's extensive range of solutions spans cloud computing, artificial intelligence, commerce, data and analytics, Internet of things (IoT), IT infrastructure, mobile, digital workplace, and cybersecurity.

Mainframe computers

IBM has been a provider of mainframe computers since 1954, with its current lineup known as the IBM z series. The most recent release is the IBM z17, introduced in 2024.

Microprocessors

The debut of IBM's Power microprocessors occurred in 1990, powering devices such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo's Wii U. IBM's Secure Blue encryption technology can be integrated directly into these microprocessors. In 2014, IBM revealed TrueNorth, a neuromorphic CMOS integrated circuit developed through a $3 billion initiative aimed at creating brain-inspired chips with minimal power usage. By 2016, IBM had launched all-flash storage arrays designed for small to medium-sized enterprises, featuring capabilities such as data compression, provisioning, and snapshot management.

Quantum computing

In January 2019, IBM introduced its inaugural commercial quantum computer, the IBM Q System One. Subsequently, in March 2020, IBM announced plans to establish Europe's first quantum computing facility in Ehningen, Germany. This center, operated by the Fraunhofer Society, commenced operations in 2024, significantly expanding IBM’s presence in quantum technologies across Europe.

Software

Since acquiring SPSS in 2009, IBM has offered this premier statistical analysis software widely used in social sciences. Additionally, IBM purchased The Weather Company, encompassing weather.com and Weather Underground; however, it divested this asset in 2024 to concentrate on its primary technology sectors.

Cloud services

IBM Cloud provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS) through public, private, and hybrid cloud configurations. The IBM Bluemix platform as a service supports rapid web application development with flexible pay-as-you-go options. IBM's SoftLayer offers dedicated server hosting and managed services, reporting over 81,000 servers supporting more than 26,000 clients as of 2011. Security is bolstered by IBM Cloud Data Encryption Services (ICDES), which employs cryptographic splitting to safeguard customer information.

In May 2022, IBM forged a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Amazon Web Services to make IBM software available on the AWS Marketplace. This alliance includes shared investments aimed at streamlining the adoption and integration of IBM solutions within AWS environments, alongside developer education and focused software development efforts.

Artificial intelligence

IBM Watson serves as a technology platform that utilizes natural language processing and machine learning techniques to derive meaningful insights from extensive amounts of unstructured data. Introduced in 2011 on the game show Jeopardy!, Watson triumphed over champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Since its debut, IBM has expanded Watson’s applications across sectors including business, healthcare, software development, and academia. A significant collaboration involved IBM partnering with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to support oncology treatment decisions and assist in melanoma screening processes. Additionally, numerous organizations employ Watson within call centers to improve or substitute traditional customer service representatives.

IBM also provides support to the New York City Police Department through IBM Cognos Analytics, enabling enhanced visualization of CompStat crime statistics.

In June 2020, IBM withdrew from the facial recognition industry. CEO Arvind Krishna called for a comprehensive national discussion regarding the deployment of this technology by law enforcement agencies.

In May 2023, IBM unveiled Watsonx, a Generative AI toolkit powered by IBM’s proprietary Granite models, with capabilities to integrate various public LLMs. Watsonx delivers services for training and fine-tuning AI models using sensitive data. By 2024, IBM had open-sourced Granite code models on Hugging Face, and in October released Granite 3.0—an open-source large language model specifically designed for enterprise AI solutions.

Consulting

As of 2024, IBM employs approximately 160,000 consultants globally, positioning it among the world’s top ten consulting firms. The company offers comprehensive expertise spanning strategy and management consulting, experience design, technology and systems integration, as well as operational consulting. In 2024, IBM’s consulting arm was valued at $20 billion.

Research

Research has been a cornerstone of IBM since its inception, with formalized initiatives beginning in 1945 at the Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory at Columbia University. Presently, IBM Research stands as the largest industrial research organization worldwide, operating twelve laboratories across six continents. Its headquarters is located at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in New York. Other key facilities include labs in Almaden (California), Austin (Texas), Melbourne (Australia), São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Beijing and Shanghai (China), Dublin (Ireland), Haifa (Israel), Delhi and Bangalore (India), Tokyo (Japan), Zurich (Switzerland), and Nairobi (Africa).

IBM allocates several billion dollars annually toward research and development; for instance, $6.9 billion was invested in 2012. Recent expenditures include $1 billion dedicated to establishing the IBM Watson business unit in 2014, $3 billion focused on next-generation semiconductor innovation, and $4 billion directed toward expanding "strategic imperatives" such as cloud computing, analytics, mobile technologies, security solutions, and social platforms in 2015.

A pioneer in embracing open source since 1998, IBM supports Linux through its Linux Technology Center which comprises over 300 kernel developers. The company has contributed major open-source projects including the Eclipse software framework (valued at $40 million upon donation), International Components for Unicode (ICU), and the Java-based relational database Apache Derby. Nevertheless, IBM’s engagement with open source has encountered legal challenges (see SCO v. IBM).

Among IBM’s notable inventions are the automated teller machine (ATM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), electronic keypunch device, financial swap mechanisms, floppy disk, hard disk drive, magnetic stripe card technology, relational database model, RISC architecture design, SABRE airline reservation system, SQL programming language, Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, and virtual machine technology. In 1990, IBM researchers utilized a scanning tunneling microscope to position individual atoms spelling out "IBM," marking a pioneering achievement in nanotechnology.

IBM consistently leads in patent issuance; since securing its first patent for a traffic signaling device, it has maintained the record for most patents granted to a corporation for 29 consecutive years as of 2021.

Patents

IBM has maintained the distinction of leading the U.S. patent count for businesses for 29 straight years as of 2021. In 2001, it was the first company to exceed 3,000 patents within a single year, later surpassing 4,000 patents in 2008. By 2022, IBM's patent portfolio had grown to encompass 150,000 patents. Their technological advancements cover fields such as artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud solutions, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. Nevertheless, IBM has occasionally been criticized for engaging in patent trolling practices.

Brand and reputation

The moniker Big Blue is associated with IBM, stemming from its blue emblem and the past dress code featuring white shirts paired with blue suits. The present "8-bar" logo, crafted by Paul Rand in 1972, replaced an earlier 13-bar version to enhance clarity on photocopied documents. For five decades, IBM utilized Helvetica as its official typeface until it was replaced in 2017 by the bespoke IBM Plex font.

With over a hundred years of corporate history and marketing efforts, IBM has cultivated a strong brand identity. Since 1996, it has served as the exclusive technology partner for the Masters Tournament, introducing digital milestones such as launching Masters.org (1996), implementing course cameras (1998), developing an iPhone app with live streaming capabilities (2009), and delivering a live 4K Ultra High Definition broadcast for a major sporting event (2016). This collaboration contributed to CEO Ginni Rometty becoming the third woman inducted into Augusta National Golf Club.

IBM is also a prominent sponsor of major tennis tournaments including the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the French Open. Its sponsorship history includes the Olympic Games from 1960 through 2000 and the National Football League between 2003 and 2012. In Japan, IBM's workforce competes in American football's X-League under the name "IBM Big Blue," featuring a professional stadium and televised matches.

Environmental

Concerns about IBM’s early environmental impact arose in 2004 regarding pollution at its original Endicott, New York facility. For the year ending December 31, 2020, IBM reported total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions—both direct and indirect—of 621 kilotons, marking a year-on-year reduction of 34.3%. In February 2021, IBM pledged to attain net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by emphasizing emission cuts, boosting energy efficiency, and expanding clean energy usage across its operations spanning more than 175 countries.

Tax avoidance

Following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, IBM was listed among 92 Fortune 500 companies that paid an effective federal tax rate of zero percent or less in 2018.

Employees

IBM ranks among the largest global employers with over 297,900 staff worldwide as of 2022, including approximately 160,000 technology consultants.

Its leadership development initiatives feature programs like Extreme Blue, an internship platform, and the IBM Fellow distinction established in 1963 to honor exceptional technical contributions.

Notable current and former employees

Numerous former IBM personnel have attained significant roles in business and government sectors. Distinguished business figures include Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, ex-EDS CEO and politician Ross Perot, Microsoft chairman John W. Thompson, SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Cadence Design Systems CEO Anirudh Devgan, former Citizens Financial Group CEO Ellen Alemany, ex-Yahoo! chairman Alfred Amoroso, former AT&T CEO C. Michael Armstrong, along with previous CEOs of Xerox Corporation, Fair Isaac Corporation, and Teradata.

In government service, notable alumni include cabinet officials such as Patricia Roberts Harris—the first African American woman appointed as a U.S. Cabinet Secretary; Samuel K. Skinner, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation; U.S. Senators Mack Mattingly and Thom Tillis; Wisconsin governor Scott Walker; ambassadors like Vincent Obsitnik and Thomas Watson Jr.; plus several members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Other prominent former employees encompass NASA astronaut Michael J. Massimino; Canadian astronaut and Governor General Julie Payette; musician Dave Matthews; university leaders Maria Klawe and Robert Mendenhall; NFL official Bill Carollo; ex-Rangers F.C. chairman John McClelland; and Nobel Prize winner J. M. Coetzee. Thomas Watson Jr. also held the position of national president of the Boy Scouts of America.

Five IBM staff members have been honored with Nobel Prizes: Leo Esaki (1973) for semiconductor research; Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer (1986) for inventing the scanning tunneling microscope; Georg Bednorz and K. Alex Müller (1987) for their work on superconductivity. Six IBM employees have received the Turing Award—including Frances E. Allen, the first female laureate. Additionally, IBM personnel have earned ten National Medals of Technology and five National Medals of Science awarded by the United States government.

Workplace culture

Throughout its more than one hundred years of existence, the workforce at IBM—commonly referred to as "IBMers"—has witnessed considerable cultural shifts. In the company’s earlier days, employees were expected to follow a rigid dress standard featuring dark suits, white shirts, and conservative ties. However, during the 1990s, under the leadership of CEO Louis V. Gerstner Jr., these formal attire norms were eased to better align with a contemporary and more flexible workplace environment. The company’s culture is often humorously captured through various informal expansions of the IBM acronym, such as "I've Been Moved," highlighting frequent employee relocations; "I'm By Myself," reflecting the widespread adoption of remote work; and "I'm Being Mentored," which underscores IBM’s commitment to an open-door policy and mentoring initiatives. While unionization efforts have generally been discouraged within the United States, certain IBM employees in other countries are represented by labor unions.

President

1. Thomas J. Watson, 1911–1949
2. John George Phillips, 1949–1951
3. Thomas J. Watson Jr., 1951–1961
4. Albert Lynn Williams, 1961–1966
5. T. Vincent Learson, 1966–1971
6. Frank T. Cary, 1971–1974
7. John R. Opel, 1974–1983
8. John Fellows Akers, 1983–1989
9. Jack Kuehler, 1989–2000
10. Samuel J. Palmisano, 2000–2012
11. Ginni Rometty, 2012–2020
12. Arvind Krishna, 2020–present

Chairman of the Board

1. George Winthrop Fairchild, 1915–1949
2. Thomas J. Watson, 1949–1961
3. Thomas J. Watson Jr., 1961–1971
4. T. Vincent Learson, 1971–1972
5. Frank T. Cary, 1972–1983
6. John R. Opel, 1983–1986
7. John Fellows Akers, 1986–1993
8. Lou Gerstner, 1993–2002
9. Samuel J. Palmisano, 2003–2012
10. Ginni Rometty, 2012–2020
11. Arvind Krishna, 2020–present

See also

• List of electronics brands
• List of largest Internet companies
• List of largest manufacturing companies by revenue
• Tech companies in the New York City metropolitan region
• Top 100 US Federal Contractors
• Quantum Energy Teleportation using IBM superconducting computers

Further reading

• Henry Bakis (1987), Industrial change in advanced economies, Croom Helm – Telecommunications and the Global Firm, pp.130–160
• Roy A. Bauer (1992), The Silverlake Project: Transformation at IBM (AS/400), Oxford University Press
• Edwin Black (2001), IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation, Dialog Press
• Paul Carroll (1993), Big Blues: The Unmaking of IBM, Crown Publishers
• Doug Garr (1999), IBM Redux: Lou Gerstner & The Business Turnaround of the Decade, Harper Business
• Louis V. Gerstner Jr. (2002), Who Says Elephants can't Dance?, HarperCollins
• Peter E. Greulich (2014), A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant: Rediscovering IBM's Corporate Constitution, MBI Concepts Corporation
• John Harwood (2011), The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945–1976, University of Minnesota Press
• Robert Heller (1994), The Fate of IBM, Little Brown
• David Mercer (1987), IBM: How the World's Most Successful Corporation is Managed, Kogan Page
• David Mercer (1988), The Global IBM: Leadership in Multinational Management, Dodd, Mead, pp.374
• D. Quinn Mills & G. Bruce Friesen (1996), Broken Promises: An Unconventional View of What Went Wrong at IBM, Harvard Business School Press
• Emerson W. Pugh (1996), Building IBM: Shaping an Industry, MIT Press
• Robert Slater (1999), Saving Big Blue: IBM's Lou Gerstner, McGraw Hill
• Ulrich Steinhilper (2006), Don't Talk – Do It! From Flying To Word Processing, Independent Books
• Ernest von Simson (2009), The Limits of Strategy: Lessons in Leadership from the Computer Industry, iUniverse
• Thomas Jr. Watson (1990), Father, Son & Co: My Life at IBM and Beyond, Bantam Books