This is hardly limited to IBM or software development. Almost any business that relies on human to human "sales" is at risk of devolving in to a deceptive mess

This is hardly limited to IBM or software development. Almost any business that relies on human to human "sales" is at risk of devolving in to a deceptive mess of complexity things that have nothing to do with delivering the desired product or service. That is dangerous because eventually competitors will be lapping you at a tiny fraction of the price.