Company: IBM
Date: 2011-07-16
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

Very mixed but willing to give it more time
Pros: I wouldn't dream of working for a direct IBM competitor. IBM's legacy and present abilities are best-of-breed so why go to a second place company.  Usually you get to work with smart, energetic people and depending on the side of the business you are in, politicking has not been an issue. The IBM brand reigns supreme and is a fantastic place to learn, grow and succeed if you are willing to stick it out.  Now read the cons...
Cons: If you are unlucky, for instance in a place like GBS consulting the politics can be very bad with all type A personalities climbing over each other, not to mention blatant kissing up.  There are sub-cultures within IBM and some of them stink.  You are going to find your share of lazy, incompetent people everywhere but the company usually is able to get rid of them in time.  Perhaps the worst thing about IBM is the HR function.  These people embody the extreme bureaucracy of the company and it doesn't take long to realize that they don't work for you.  Plus most of the incompetent people are concentrated in HR - so, bureaucracy + incompetence = Watson's rolling in their graves.