Software Developer • Current Employee
Pros: Talented, inclusive workforce, true meritocracy.
I've worked for like four teams over the course of my eight years at IBM. I can remember exactly two people that were not great to work with.
IBM, from my experience, encourages creativity, values the individual, and promotes team cohesion.
Sure, I would rather make six figures selling umbrella drinks at a tiki bar, but this is unlikely. I have no plans of leaving IBM and see only growth both for me and the company. They are really making amazing strides in AI, Cloud, and Cybersecurity, and I kind of want to have some small part of this success.
Cons: BIG company that entered the Cloud space fairly late compared to AWS, Google, etc. Sometimes old patterns of thinking have to be challenged, which would not even exist in a smaller, newer company. That said, IBM has made big moves in adopting agile practices.
Another con is that this is a VERY big pond, so if you want to get recognized for your contributions, just make sure you are working in an area that the C-levels really care about. If what you love to do is just something that is considered an unfortunate necessity of business, then it is unlikely you can make a big splash.
I have found it easy to share these concerns with my management and was pleasantly surprised when I was engaged in more high-visibility opportunities. But of course, then you have to really perform!