How IBM quietly pushed out 20,000 older workers [video]

IBM has stopped innovating a long time ago, I would guess sometime in the late 1980s<p>IBM is also the biggest Patent Troll on the planet[1]. I met a Patent and IP Lawyer at a Code Camp in San Luis Obispo. He said he did Legal Patent and Licensing work for IBM for many years and claimed that they generated over 1 Billion $ &#x2F; year just from their Licensing deals and patent enforcement alone, and that it was their biggest source of income. I tried to see if those # in his claim were true, and it looks like they are, even to this day.<p>&gt; Between 2008 and 2012 IBM’s patent portfolio generated between $1.1 and $1.2 billion per year.<p>Source: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;chuckjones&#x2F;2016&#x2F;01&#x2F;19&#x2F;if-patents-are-so-valuable-why-does-ibms-intellectual-property-revenue-continue-to-decline&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;chuckjones&#x2F;2016&#x2F;01&#x2F;19&#x2F;if-patent...</a><p>[1] Source: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thumbor.forbes.com&#x2F;thumbor&#x2F;960x0&#x2F;https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fchuckjones%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F01%2F2015-Patents-IBM-vs-Competitors.jpg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thumbor.forbes.com&#x2F;thumbor&#x2F;960x0&#x2F;https%3A%2F%2Fblogs...</a>

For anyone who doesn&#x27;t want to watch a youtube video, here&#x27;s the article the video is based on:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;features.propublica.org&#x2F;ibm&#x2F;ibm-age-discrimination-american-workers&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;features.propublica.org&#x2F;ibm&#x2F;ibm-age-discrimination-a...</a>

My uncle used to work for IBM, and he told stories for years before also getting let go. They definitely made a push for a younger workforce.

On my first day at my new job out of college, IBM told me the location I requested for in my offer letter could only be temporary as I was on &quot;loan&quot; in a budgetary sense. Now 6 months in, I must transition to a new role (which will not be in my current location). I have other offers in this area, but the agreement I had to sign to repay my bonus (which has been used to pay off student loans) if I voluntarily leave before a year of service is likely not something myself or a startup can make happen at this point. I feel trapped and it&#x27;s not great.

Did IBM use to have &quot;great wages&quot; as the article says? Because it certainly doesn&#x27;t anymore. A friend had an offer from IBM Research. It was practically a grad student stipend and a drop in the bucket compared to GoogFace wages. It was even worse than Amazon wages, which is already a painfully low bar. (Though AFAIK at least they let you pee in the bathrooms).

Would a penalty&#x2F;fee&#x2F;tax help prevent companies from laying off then immediately hiring for the same role? I’m sure they’d just find a loophole but there’s got to be a way to at least reduce the benefit to the companies.

IBM is one of the few remaining employers who will pay for your outrageous graduate School tuition, provided you work for them another five years following your completion.

Ageism was just a side effect, I don&#x27;t think IBM committed it intentionally. IBM&#x27;s business changed and some of their employees failed to change with it. That the employees who failed to change were generally older is just a coincidence.<p>I know that I might face that same reckoning when I get older - out of date skills pushing me out of the market - so I&#x27;m actively taking steps now to set up habits that keep me on top.