Company: IBM
Date: 2014-05-06
Overall rating: 1/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

EPS and profits above everything else... rapidly becoming a giant mumbling rathole
Pros: Global company with huge portfolio of advanced software and hardware products, competitive cloud platform (SoftLayer) and good (but not great) service capabilities.  Vast sales and distribution network across all industries, strong ties to government institutions (in most countries), access to the largest companies across the globe.  Solid (but rapidly deteriorating) technical and consulting know-how.  Attempts to "move decisions closer to the clients" are laudable, but drown in the sea of incompetence.
Cons: Mid-level management structure and their lack of skills (both technical and people-management) are absolutely atrocious.  There are layers upon layers of "pointy-hair managers" - every other Dilbert cartoon seems to be inspired by IBM. 2015 EPS target drives all decision making, cost-cutting replaces innovation, and there is shortage of ideas where the new growth should come from.