Having worked there, I disagree. Even if it's only to learn what it's like to work at a big place like that, it is highly instructive. Let alone the number of

Having worked there, I disagree. Even if it's only to learn what it's like to work at a big place like that, it is highly instructive. Let alone the number of connections you can make that will pay dividends down the line. They also do a lot of research, which remained a mainstay of the company years ago when I was there and I don't see that having changed. I think people underestimate how much that contributes to the perceived slowness and stuffiness of the company. When you have an entire research division working on the edge of physics, that means a lot of academics, and your company by necessity doesn't fit the mold of other tech companies. Indeed, most of the newcomers seem to have tried to copy this model. IBM "only cares" about its investors. Patents are a means to an end there for sure but while I was there they claimed the patent portfolio that was primarily aimed at being defensive. Whether this is true or not I have no idea but I don't see a ton of IBM in the news as the plaintiff in patent lawsuits. As a company they have a lot of captive clients and are deep into some areas other companies just can't get into reliably, so you sometimes get work opportunities you wouldn't elsewhere. The red tape and bureaucracy is awful and the way they tighten the belt every time they underperform for a quarter left a bad taste in my mouth; definitely felt run more by accountants and business people than engineers.