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From the CNBC article covering this: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/ibm-ceo-ginni-rometty-steps-down-arvind-krishna-to-take-over.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020

From the CNBC article covering this: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/ibm-ceo-ginni-rometty-steps-down-arvind-krishna-to-take-over.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/ibm-ceo-ginni-rometty-steps-... >In a release, Rometty described Krishna as a “brilliant technologist who has played a significant role in developing our key technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing and blockchain” Sounds like IBM's strategy is going all in on buzzwords.

H8crilA 7y ago
IBM is a consulting company that tries to sell some of their cloud to their clients and some of their buzzwords to their investors. Normal silicon valley stuff, except that IBM manages to show up with some positive cash flow at the end of the day, unlike modern VC darlings.
- rurp 7y ago
  > except that IBM manages to show up with some positive cash flow at the end of the day, unlike modern VC darlings Comparing IBM to a VC funded startup doesn't make any sense to me. Big old tech companies (like IBM) in Silicon Valley mostly do turn a profit, some quite a bit more than IBM.
  - H8crilA 7y ago
    True. A fun fact: most also turned profit pre-IPO. Look up old S-1's. I was just joking about the buzzword mumbo jumbo. I want someone to take me for an AI ride in a self driving cloud. I already had so many social network and Uber-for-X rides, those days were cool. Does your mom do fintech, too? That's sooo cool!
    - rurp 7y ago
      Heh, I actually agree with you on the buzzword mumbo jumbo. There's no doubt IBM can throw out meaningless buzzwordy phrases with SV's best.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- mathattack 7y ago
  Startups consume cash to grow. Mature companies return cash to shareholders after the growth slows. Natural state of affairs.
Melting_Harps 7y ago
> Sounds like IBM's strategy is going all in on buzzwords. It has been for some time, which is sad because their flagship hardware still stands the test of time--I'm writing this on an old 10+ year old thinkpad. When I worked there it was just that, buzzword laden marketing to entice their legacy customers try a tech which they could onboard on to their cloud product(s). It was disheartening as their Food Safety program had so much early-stage penetration from Multi-nationals that it could have done amazing things. Sadly, it was entirely predictable but the thinkpad fan boy in me thought it could have prevailed.
- Miraste 7y ago
  Your thinkpad probably isn't even an IBM product. Lenovo bought them in 2005 and they've done a much better job than IBM would have--IBM sold the division in the first place because they had no vision for it at all. They've been riding inertia since the 80s.
  - Melting_Harps 7y ago
    I know my models; I was staring at the massive IBM logo when I wrote that. I swap between models throughout the day, and at the time I was on my X31, which was the last X series to be made by IBM and has the best keyboard of them all. I'm currently on an X61, and will move over to my 3rd gen X1 Carbon in a bit to get to work. As I said, I'm a fan boy; I have another 20-something X series' stored away for parts and as backups, many of them X61s I thought I would update to X62/63s and resell, but never got around to it and now it may be too late. I'm not saying Lenovo hasn't done an amazing job, I keep buying these things over anything else. But if I'm honest, those new Pinebooks are looking like my new daily drivers, I always wanted Open Hardware to be a thing, so I think I might join in.
    - Miraste 7y ago
      Quite a collection! Did you get them from a corporate selloff or something? You might already know this, but Lenovo had the rights to use the IBM logo on their ThinkPads for several years after the purchase, so there are a few models that have the big IBM lettering but are really Lenovo machines. I'm also intrigued by Pinebooks and their open philosophy, but my tolerance for slow computers is low. I haven't used one yet, but System76 laptops seem like a good compromise between open hardware and modern performance.
mathattack 7y ago
Yes. It’s only a wonder that she left out Watson.

H8crilA 7y ago

IBM is a consulting company that tries to sell some of their cloud to their clients and some of their buzzwords to their investors. Normal silicon valley stuff, except that IBM manages to show up with some positive cash flow at the end of the day, unlike modern VC darlings.

rurp 7y ago
> except that IBM manages to show up with some positive cash flow at the end of the day, unlike modern VC darlings Comparing IBM to a VC funded startup doesn't make any sense to me. Big old tech companies (like IBM) in Silicon Valley mostly do turn a profit, some quite a bit more than IBM.
- H8crilA 7y ago
  True. A fun fact: most also turned profit pre-IPO. Look up old S-1's. I was just joking about the buzzword mumbo jumbo. I want someone to take me for an AI ride in a self driving cloud. I already had so many social network and Uber-for-X rides, those days were cool. Does your mom do fintech, too? That's sooo cool!
  - rurp 7y ago
    Heh, I actually agree with you on the buzzword mumbo jumbo. There's no doubt IBM can throw out meaningless buzzwordy phrases with SV's best.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mathattack 7y ago
Startups consume cash to grow. Mature companies return cash to shareholders after the growth slows. Natural state of affairs.

Melting_Harps 7y ago

> Sounds like IBM's strategy is going all in on buzzwords. It has been for some time, which is sad because their flagship hardware still stands the test of time--I'm writing this on an old 10+ year old thinkpad. When I worked there it was just that, buzzword laden marketing to entice their legacy customers try a tech which they could onboard on to their cloud product(s). It was disheartening as their Food Safety program had so much early-stage penetration from Multi-nationals that it could have done amazing things. Sadly, it was entirely predictable but the thinkpad fan boy in me thought it could have prevailed.

Miraste 7y ago
Your thinkpad probably isn't even an IBM product. Lenovo bought them in 2005 and they've done a much better job than IBM would have--IBM sold the division in the first place because they had no vision for it at all. They've been riding inertia since the 80s.
- Melting_Harps 7y ago
  I know my models; I was staring at the massive IBM logo when I wrote that. I swap between models throughout the day, and at the time I was on my X31, which was the last X series to be made by IBM and has the best keyboard of them all. I'm currently on an X61, and will move over to my 3rd gen X1 Carbon in a bit to get to work. As I said, I'm a fan boy; I have another 20-something X series' stored away for parts and as backups, many of them X61s I thought I would update to X62/63s and resell, but never got around to it and now it may be too late. I'm not saying Lenovo hasn't done an amazing job, I keep buying these things over anything else. But if I'm honest, those new Pinebooks are looking like my new daily drivers, I always wanted Open Hardware to be a thing, so I think I might join in.
  - Miraste 7y ago
    Quite a collection! Did you get them from a corporate selloff or something? You might already know this, but Lenovo had the rights to use the IBM logo on their ThinkPads for several years after the purchase, so there are a few models that have the big IBM lettering but are really Lenovo machines. I'm also intrigued by Pinebooks and their open philosophy, but my tolerance for slow computers is low. I haven't used one yet, but System76 laptops seem like a good compromise between open hardware and modern performance.

mathattack 7y ago

Yes. It’s only a wonder that she left out Watson.