They’ve always managed to keep things quiet, including pretty massive lay-offs. They’ve laid off basically all of the dead wood in the U.S., outsourced every job they could, and now are laying off the good workers (around 2,000 more just a month+ ago).
“Roadmap 2015” is affectionately known as “Roadkill 2015.”
All employees were given stocks that would vest in 2015, most people figured they would never see that stock.
The U.S. count has gone from about 150,000 in 2000, to 98,000 now. IBM doesn’t release numbers, but there are other websites/places that keep track.
Having had the misfortune to observe firsthand a company reducing itself to a shell of its former self, I’ll just say that the talented and the good got out on their own as soon as the decline became evident.
The unmotivated, the entrenched, the lifers nearing retirement and the scheming political deadwood will cling to the bitter end. Speaking of scheming political deadwood, I suspect there’s not been a single dismissal in HR despite such a massive reduction in headcount. They always find their way into HR, because that’s where the hiring and firing decisions are ultimately decided and enacted. Nothing quite like being a decider to save one’s own sorry hide in such situations.
I also suspect expensive diversity consultants, training and seminars are going just as strongly as ever, since they’re becoming increasingly more diverse, being averse to letting go anyone with potential standing to sue for racial or gender bias.
They might as well become an arm of the Federal Government, once they get through, because the people and the attitude will be identical.