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The best thing I got out from my past employment at IBM is an eye-bee-m t-shirt that I (obviously) bought at the company store. This t-shirt, the all-IBM I-sha
by rescbr 3y ago
The best thing I got out from my past employment at IBM is an eye-bee-m t-shirt that I (obviously) bought at the company store.
This t-shirt, the all-IBM I-shaped brutalist building I worked at, and the customer demo mainframe idly blinking in the lobby all evoked the mighty past of a company bled dry by its senior management. Even the company store selling branded knick-knacks, it somehow made me very proud to work at such a centenary company.
The company I left IBM for? Yeah, it's just another Fortune 10 soul-less corporation in a nondescript glass building. Not that IBM wasn't, but at least you could see the computing history on the walls.
- beachy 3y agoI was a second generation IBMer and the best thing I got when I left was a big engineer control panel out of a storage controller - all lights, switches and knobs. It's been sitting for 30 years waiting to be turned into a flashing art piece on the wall.
- ozfive 3y agoIf you have kids or grandkids or even a school nearby why not convert it into a space shuttle control board for them with an Arduino or Raspberry Pi. It would be more useful and inspiring for them.
- Cockbrand 3y agoOoh, that reminds me that I have a small status lights panel from some IBM mainframe (with tiny bulbs, not LEDs)... maybe my winter project will be to finally convert it to a geeky desk clock.
- m463 3y agoI still have some small tan paper memo pads with THINK on the cover. also: remember there is ANOTHER ibm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Magicians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_M... (younger at only 101 years old)
- jmprspret 3y agoDon't mean to be rude but... You _bought_ company swag, as an employee? Don't they usually give out like at least a free t-shirt and a mug for everyone?
- grogenaut 3y agoSweet summer child working at a West Coast tech startup. Why give away swag when you can have your employees buy it? This is how it usually is outside the bubble.
- milkytron 3y agoIdk. I worked for a massive company that is as east coast as they come. We'd still get free swag all the time. Usually for participating in events or coming to talks and stuff. Same thing with the startup I worked for, and the midsize/small company I work for now. From my experience, this is not how it is outside the bubble of SV.
- prmoustache 3y agoCompany swag is usually the kind of gear you are wearing while doing stuff that could make you dirty. Lawn mowing, doing house shores, home renovation, fixing a bike or car.... Not something you would willingly spend money on and this is definitely stuff companies give away for free. It seems to be changing a bit now with companies having an environmental committee for all stuff that is made in plastic.
- runlaszlorun 3y agoI worked the occasional temp night shift at an Amazon warehouse shoving boxes around while working on a startup and they gave out a fair amount of swag. One could call them a tech company and therefore in the bubble but this is about as low on the totem pole as you can get. To their credit, they at least had to foresight to realize that free swag is free advertising. Enlightened self-interest if you will.
- jmprspret 3y agoI don't work for a startup I work for a broke company constantly shedding employees and I got a free shirt and a mug..
- euroderf 3y agoIs there in general any kind of market for functional swag (T-shirts etc.) for companies that have hit the graveyard ?
- Cockbrand 3y agoDefinitely, check eBay for overpriced vintage DEC, etc swag. Whether the stuff actually sells, I don’t know.
- koolba 3y agoDEC? We all know Wang is what the cool kids are wearing.
- thedougd 3y agoI went to my local Goodwill store looking for the final touches of my Halloween costume. I was disappointed to find the t-shirt bins were completely filled with tech company T-shirts, barely worn.
- dclowd9901 3y agoI worked at Nest for a bit and we moved into the buildings below the hallowed Xerox PARC building. One of my absolute joys was making the winding trek up the hill just to meander outside the building and take in its architecture and history. It’s strange to think of an organization whose essential imperative is “make money” as being something to consider in some sort of wider sociological, historical or even artistic context, but these places _were_ very important and some of them even harbor beauty.
- _8j50 3y agoBut I am guessing your new company won't kick you to the curb when you get to be 50+?
- brk 3y agoSounds like the IBM building in Southfield.
- pjmorris 3y agoI suddenly feel privileged for having gotten my eye-bee-m t-shirt as free swag at an event. I did buy my 'Think' coffee mug, and the grand prize to me, a 'Think' baseball cap, to wear when necessary. I spent eight years at IBM and I too appreciated all the references to their storied history.
- spandextwins 3y agoMy how far they've deviated from that history.
- reportgunner 3y agoI used to have a nice black gloss mug with only the word THINK engraved on it in nice white letters. Someone took it away from me at my new job though.