IBM

Work/Life Balance

Flexibility

Opportunities for internal transfers

Good compensation and benefits package

Bureaucracy Broken culture Legacy systems Culture of Fear Risk-averse management Slow to adapt Lack of leadership Talent shortage

During my time at IBM, I worked on three teams across two entirely different business units. The common factor has been the broken culture. If you like to move quickly and get things done, you will be fighting against the current. The majority of employees are resigned to an attitude of "not-my-job-not-my-problem." When something needs fixing, do not expect anyone to jump on it.

The most trivial IT tasks (e.g., upgrading a single OS package) can take days (and oftentimes weeks), and will require at least one (usually multiple) meetings. There is a serious talent shortage, and many current employees stubbornly refuse to learn anything "new." When I say new, I'm talking about technologies like Docker and Kubernetes. Yes, I know these technologies have been around for years, but in the bubble that is IBM, these are considered new.

In summary, folks with talent and leadership skills have long since moved on from IBM. Those that remain are working for a paycheck: no passion, no curiosity, no integrity. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are just that – exceptions.