Company: IBM
Date: 2018-11-28
Overall rating: 1/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

IBM Security
Pros: I struggle to find any positives about this toxic employer, be aware of fake reviews that do not reflect the reality of working at IBM.
Cons: Before you think about joining IBM Security you must accept that IBM exists in its own bubble - one that only works for Wall St, Execs and VPs.  The majority of people that join IBM Security from outside leave within 24 months as they cannot adapt to the warped world of Big Blue.

At IBM you are just a number, and seen as liability that can be traded out to meet Wall St expectations when the top line looks weak. You have no voice and you have no latitude to be creative or find different ways of solving a problem. IBM has the 'GroupThink' mentality, where any alternative vision or refection of reality is seen as a threat.

Forget this IBM elite nonsense - IBM has 400,000 staff, which means statistically, the vast majority are average, despite their own inflated opinions of their abilities. Employees become institutionalised by IBM and lose all their individual value and end up being dysfunctional to survive.

IBM has too many managers - for every seller actually generating revenue, there are 10+ managers who add zero value, as they don’t know the subject matter, the customer, the competition, they just manage spreadsheets of fictional information - tragic. Made worse by a Matrix management structure , which is outdated in todays world.

To control 400k staff, the bureaucracy is immense and broken applications / processes abound - 75% of your time can be spent on a process, just to get a simple proposal approved. 

Managers are almost exclusively selfish and have no concern for staff, they will sack you if it saves their chances of keeping their job / promotion. Resource Actions (layoffs) are a constant, so everyone is playing the blame game to divert responsibility for their own incompetence, which is a daily issue with customers who are deeply dissatisfied with the "sell and run" tactics, fostered by IBM moving staff around every 6 months.

The diversity / PC culture is used as a method to control open expression and foster a climate of fear for long term staff. It is Orwellian in its mission, any criticism is seen as a personal attack on the CEO and the "mini Ginnis", no matter how factual your position is. 

Most IBM people adopt the 'Passive Aggressive' behaviour style and will only tell you the minimum so they retain the position of perceived advantage and undermine others - forget teamwork, its every droid for themselves.

A word of warning to those who think having IBM on their CV is a good thing - it's not - today the best jobs at innovative companies actively avoid taking people from the legacy IT players like IBM, as they offer no contemporary skills & only poison the culture with their learned behaviour.