IBM
The Rise and Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon (History of Computing)
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IBM
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Narrated by:
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Brian Conover
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By:
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James W. Cortada
About this listen
A former IBM employee offers an authoritative history of the successes and failures of one of the most influential American companies of the last century.
For decades, IBM shaped the way the world did business. IBM products were in every large organization, and IBM corporate culture established a management style that was imitated by companies around the globe. It was “Big Blue”—an icon. And yet over the years, IBM has gone through both failure and success, surviving flatlining revenue and forced reinvention. The company almost went out of business in the early 1990s, then came back strong with new business strategies and an emphasis on artificial intelligence. In this authoritative, monumental history, James Cortada tells the story of one of the most influential American companies of the last century.
A historian who worked at IBM for many years, Cortada examines IBM throughout the decades, offering insights on the company’s:
- Technology Breakthroughs
- Business Culture
- Global expansion
- Regulatory and Legal Issues
- CEOs
The secret to IBM’s unequalled longevity in the information technology market, Cortada shows, is its capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and technologies.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 James W. Cortada (P)2024 G&D MediaWhat listeners say about IBM
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-06-24
More a history of business than computing
The book tells the story (or part of) of IBM, one of the biggest tech companies in history. If you're expecting a deep dive into the evolution of their products and technology, you might be a little disappointed. The book is mostly about the business side of things: growth, sales figures, the challenges they faced, and how they changed over time. The book gives a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made, how they treated employees, customers and competitors. There's lot about IBM's ups and downs, how they almost went under in the 90s but managed to bounce back.
However, this is very little detail on the tech, a few brief mentions of the System/360 computer and artificial intelligence, but it's mostly about how those things fit into their overall business plan, without details of how they worked, the development of technology and what the technology did. Having a great sales team is all well and good, but if the products are not up to scratch, then it won't matter. IBM were, for a time at least, synonymous with quality, innovative technology. There is really little mention of this in the book, which shows it's very much a perspective from a management/executive level.
If you're into the technical side of computing history and how it's evolved (as am I), you might want to find another book to scratch that itch. But if you're interested in how a company like IBM managed to stay afloat and thrive for so long, this book is might be for you.
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