7 ms·

Two failing companies fighting in court. In the end, only the lawyers win.

Retric 8y ago
IBM is hardly failing. They know how to litigate and have gotten far more money from litigation than it's cost them. If nothing else cases like this scare other people into paying licencing fees. So, fighting wounded companies like Groupon can be very useful.
- prklmn 8y ago
  What’s your definition of failing? https://finance.yahoo.com/chart/IBM#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%3D https://finance.yahoo.com/chart/IBM#eyJpbnRlcnZhbCI6IndlZWsi...
  - freehunter 8y ago
    My definition of "failing" certainly doesn't include companies that are still profitable, employ hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, have hardware in every Fortune 500 company's datacenter, and is the market leader in some high-growth fields.
    - iteriteratedone 8y ago
      The down votes for logic , politics in tech, the saddest thing. The question goes back to the root. Why do you think IBM is failing ... ive seen this comment in multiple posts and it seems very flimsy and biased. An even more direct question is "fail to do what?" They dont seem to fail to pay their employees which is more than I can say for a majority of startups.
    - Analemma_ 8y ago
      Which high-growth fields is IBM a market leader in? In both AI and cloud computing, they are considered an also-ran.
      - freehunter 8y ago
        I work in information security and IBM is the undisputed leader. I’d also hesitate to call them an also-ran in AI, even if they’re not the undisputed leader. I feel like people on here discount IBM because they don’t have anything to offer consumers or startups, but the corporate world is far bigger and has far deeper pockets.
  - machinecoffee 8y ago
    Thanks for reminding me how useful a site finance.yahoo is, if you take that graph back to 2005, IBM doesn't look that bad. You also see the precipitous fall Groupon had from its earliest days.
  - Retric 8y ago
    Consistently losing money without massive growth, or a ~50% and growing drop in both revenue and profits, or failing to diversify as their only revenue sources goes away. PS: Notice how none of the above mention stock price, there is a reason for that.

IBM is hardly failing. They know how to litigate and have gotten far more money from litigation than it's cost them. If nothing else cases like this scare other people into paying licencing fees. So, fighting wounded companies like Groupon can be very useful.

prklmn 8y ago
What’s your definition of failing? https://finance.yahoo.com/chart/IBM#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%3D https://finance.yahoo.com/chart/IBM#eyJpbnRlcnZhbCI6IndlZWsi...
- freehunter 8y ago
  My definition of "failing" certainly doesn't include companies that are still profitable, employ hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, have hardware in every Fortune 500 company's datacenter, and is the market leader in some high-growth fields.
  - iteriteratedone 8y ago
    The down votes for logic , politics in tech, the saddest thing. The question goes back to the root. Why do you think IBM is failing ... ive seen this comment in multiple posts and it seems very flimsy and biased. An even more direct question is "fail to do what?" They dont seem to fail to pay their employees which is more than I can say for a majority of startups.
  - Analemma_ 8y ago
    Which high-growth fields is IBM a market leader in? In both AI and cloud computing, they are considered an also-ran.
    - freehunter 8y ago
      I work in information security and IBM is the undisputed leader. I’d also hesitate to call them an also-ran in AI, even if they’re not the undisputed leader. I feel like people on here discount IBM because they don’t have anything to offer consumers or startups, but the corporate world is far bigger and has far deeper pockets.
- machinecoffee 8y ago
  Thanks for reminding me how useful a site finance.yahoo is, if you take that graph back to 2005, IBM doesn't look that bad. You also see the precipitous fall Groupon had from its earliest days.
- Retric 8y ago
  Consistently losing money without massive growth, or a ~50% and growing drop in both revenue and profits, or failing to diversify as their only revenue sources goes away. PS: Notice how none of the above mention stock price, there is a reason for that.