Gossip or Rumours Say Another Large Wave of IBM Layoffs Starts in the New Year
IBM has moved in the wrong direction since Sam left
IBM layoffs - or "RAs" as IBM prefers to call them (most people get lost in translation) - haven't ended. They're like a "rolling release" full of goo and workers are extremely stressed, maybe morbidly demoralised, sometimes paralysed (some are unable to work at all due to the overwhelming stress; nervous breakdowns are a real thing). That reminds us a lot of EPO workers in the Benoît Battistelli and António Campinos era. I've heard many disheartening stories from workers. Some had to leave just to survive.
This hours-old thread is discussing the likelihood that this coming week (i.e. December) there will be more layoffs.
Quoting that latest (and at the moment most informative) message: "Next round of IBM layoffs will most likely be in 02/2026. Slimy lawyers are taking some time off after the extensive work done for 11/2035 layoffs. Performance results are published by 01/26. Assuming only 15% are ranked at the bottom. February will see the new round."
As I explained yesterday, I used to admire IBM's products; nowadays I see IBM mostly sabotaging Red Hat and - by extension - the platform that I devoted my professional and personal life to.
IBM really needs an immediate leadership change. This is urgent.
Swapping "AK" with one of his younger 'pupils' (like "RT") won't do the trick; it would be just optics of the 'pupillage' (men putting on wigs and make-up to read out prepared scripts for the "shareholders"). "JW" (former Red Hat CEO) left to become a Microsoft booster.
What sort of good leader can IBM even attract (e.g. from the outside) at this point? This RMS Titanic (no connection to RMS the person) would be a career ender or career suicide. █