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Martholomeow t1_j5yeuqs wrote

I can’t even figure out what IBM sells anymore. Who hires them and for what?

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Klumber t1_j5ynrhk wrote

They're essentially a service company now. Primarily supporting other businesses with complex information technology problems. The fact that you don't know them is part of their success, they switched entirely to B2B, where they do have consumer facing functions they're usually badged with a different name or in the shape of joint-ventures.

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geekynerdornerdygeek t1_j5zi5re wrote

This guy IBMs.

The article references a quote from the CEO where he says very distinctly that he feels IBM is doing "better" than other tech companies because it is in fact a totally different business model, focusing solely in B2B, and no longer conducts business with direct consumers.

Making it a tiny bit less susceptible to consumer shifts. (Everything eventually rolls up).

And all layoffs are in relation to subsidiary business spin offs.

Not making light of layoffs. But this really should be in a different group of tech companies as far as layoffs go, and not lumped into Google and Facebook, etc.

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eggrollinmypants t1_j5zcdqj wrote

Perfect example Truven Health analytics

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Klumber t1_j5zuf7f wrote

They are very large in lots of fields, I'm in Libraries (Health currently) and once you know, you see them everywhere. Just working behind the screens making sure that all this eResource stuff works.

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ssouthurst t1_j5zvmpd wrote

Primarily other companies products now (eg. Microsoft/Amazon) . Thankfully. Because every IBM product we used on the team I worked in while at IBM was utter garbage.

IBM has been slowly divesting itself from its own products. (notes, B2B etc) But they do have Redhat. They just haven't had enough time to drive it into the ground so they can sell it at a loss.

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eoe6ya t1_j60tymt wrote

IBM has a huge consulting service and people are contracted out as project managers, business analysts, developers, etc

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