6 ms·

Wait, it isn't already? That's absolutely wild to me. It's probably just my biases talking, but I've never had a single employer or client who used anything by

by styeco 5y ago

Wait, it isn't already? That's absolutely wild to me. It's probably just my biases talking, but I've never had a single employer or client who used anything by IBM, but nearly everyone uses AWS for something. It's those megacorp whales, isn't it?

nfin 5y ago
If I am not mistaken they compare AWS (cloud services) with the entire IBM company (cloud services, consultancing business, …). Which would make it a strange comparison (but ok, it would just emphasize the size of AWS)
esrauch 5y ago
They're comparing AWS revenue to all IBM revenue. IBM is engaged in a number of other areas including fabless semiconductor design.
AzzieElbab 5y ago
but have you heard of Kyndryl? :) IBM is like dark cloud market nowadays. No one has any idea what it does but it still makes money somehow
jonfw 5y ago
IBM owns Red Hat, you ever heard of those guys? IBM largely makes their money supporting legacy software, doing services and consulting work, and through Red Hat's software offerings
- dralley 5y ago
  And selling hardware. Software aside, both POWER and s390x have a niche and are legitimately competitive in terms of performance (although cost is another matter).
- allendoerfer 5y ago
  IBM is about 25 times bigger than Red Hat.
  - jonfw 5y ago
    Because they're raking in huge bucks supporting legacy software and doing services/consulting work. They also turn Red Hat products into IBM revenue through bundling/repackaging it
villasv 5y ago
Note that AWS has around 25k employees while IBM is close to 350k.
- FriedrichN 5y ago
  I hope to have that much overhead one day.
JCM9 5y ago
IBM has grown to do a lot more than just computing services. Which is part of the reason why IBM has been struggling to find its way. In this article they’re talking about all IBM revenue, not just computing.
raverbashing 5y ago
I thought IBM had divested their service part recently, not sure how did that affected their size.
- dralley 5y ago
  The divesting is in-progress, it hasn't happened yet.
  - stevehawk 5y ago
    it seems like IBM's future is in divesting itself of a handful of profitable things as one organization.. then selling the IBM name to that organization.. and bankrupting the 'original' organization. otherwise they'll have one big anchor around their neck in perpetuity.
    - dralley 5y ago
      The opposite. New IBM is focused on cloud and hybrid-cloud, whereas NewCo is everything else (consulting, legacy software). Although I believe mainframes are sticking with IBM. Those are still quite profitable, and you could imagine a "mainframe cloud" for clients that are still dependent on them.
shakna 5y ago
I live in a town with a sizeable IBM office. The number of tendrils coming out of it is crazy. To the point where everyone knows someone who is employed by IBM. I wouldn't say it's only megacorps. Universities have internship courses with IBM, and IBM have both normal and research contracts with the universities. Even tiny universities with less than a hundred students. All the banks have contracts with IBM. All of them. There are hardware contracts, software contracts, and customised development versions of both of those for the banks. Most of the schools also have IBM contracts. Not generally customised development, just deployment of prebuilt hardware and preconfigured software. Even the kindergartens do. All the ISPs have support contracts. They tend to be more secretive about what the contracts are, but from what I hear it's mostly prebuilt hardware and very slightly customised software, and the support contracts are where IBM make the most of the income from the various contracts with the ISPs. All the hospitals have contracts. Customised hardware contracts, but boring and preconfigured software. However, the support contracts are fairly busy and IBM have a really high turnover in the teams that support the hospitals. The government buildings, of which we have local, state and federal, all have IBM hardware in them. Some of which has been under active support for three decades. Software wise, though, the government is edging away from IBM due to some recent fuckups that have seen IBM blacklisted for new contracts.

by styeco 5y ago

nfin 5y ago

If I am not mistaken they compare AWS (cloud services) with the entire IBM company (cloud services, consultancing business, …). Which would make it a strange comparison (but ok, it would just emphasize the size of AWS)

esrauch 5y ago

They're comparing AWS revenue to all IBM revenue. IBM is engaged in a number of other areas including fabless semiconductor design.

AzzieElbab 5y ago

but have you heard of Kyndryl? :) IBM is like dark cloud market nowadays. No one has any idea what it does but it still makes money somehow

jonfw 5y ago

IBM owns Red Hat, you ever heard of those guys? IBM largely makes their money supporting legacy software, doing services and consulting work, and through Red Hat's software offerings

dralley 5y ago
And selling hardware. Software aside, both POWER and s390x have a niche and are legitimately competitive in terms of performance (although cost is another matter).
allendoerfer 5y ago
IBM is about 25 times bigger than Red Hat.
- jonfw 5y ago
  Because they're raking in huge bucks supporting legacy software and doing services/consulting work. They also turn Red Hat products into IBM revenue through bundling/repackaging it

villasv 5y ago

Note that AWS has around 25k employees while IBM is close to 350k.

FriedrichN 5y ago
I hope to have that much overhead one day.

JCM9 5y ago

IBM has grown to do a lot more than just computing services. Which is part of the reason why IBM has been struggling to find its way. In this article they’re talking about all IBM revenue, not just computing.

raverbashing 5y ago

I thought IBM had divested their service part recently, not sure how did that affected their size.

dralley 5y ago
The divesting is in-progress, it hasn't happened yet.
- stevehawk 5y ago
  it seems like IBM's future is in divesting itself of a handful of profitable things as one organization.. then selling the IBM name to that organization.. and bankrupting the 'original' organization. otherwise they'll have one big anchor around their neck in perpetuity.
  - dralley 5y ago
    The opposite. New IBM is focused on cloud and hybrid-cloud, whereas NewCo is everything else (consulting, legacy software). Although I believe mainframes are sticking with IBM. Those are still quite profitable, and you could imagine a "mainframe cloud" for clients that are still dependent on them.

shakna 5y ago

I live in a town with a sizeable IBM office. The number of tendrils coming out of it is crazy. To the point where everyone knows someone who is employed by IBM. I wouldn't say it's only megacorps. Universities have internship courses with IBM, and IBM have both normal and research contracts with the universities. Even tiny universities with less than a hundred students. All the banks have contracts with IBM. All of them. There are hardware contracts, software contracts, and customised development versions of both of those for the banks. Most of the schools also have IBM contracts. Not generally customised development, just deployment of prebuilt hardware and preconfigured software. Even the kindergartens do. All the ISPs have support contracts. They tend to be more secretive about what the contracts are, but from what I hear it's mostly prebuilt hardware and very slightly customised software, and the support contracts are where IBM make the most of the income from the various contracts with the ISPs. All the hospitals have contracts. Customised hardware contracts, but boring and preconfigured software. However, the support contracts are fairly busy and IBM have a really high turnover in the teams that support the hospitals. The government buildings, of which we have local, state and federal, all have IBM hardware in them. Some of which has been under active support for three decades. Software wise, though, the government is edging away from IBM due to some recent fuckups that have seen IBM blacklisted for new contracts.