They just named another person as CEO, Arvind Krishna.
I know there was thought of him being tapped for CEO.
I am just dreaming but if Whitehurst is President could there be a possible move here either with other operations or something?
Krishna was instrumental in IBM’s acquisition of Red Hat, so he & Whitehurst could be open to relocating current IBM facilities to a tech growth center. Whitehurst is from Georgia and attended Rice. All this sounds very good for our region.
Probably too much inertia at a dinosaur like IBM for a wholesale move out of Armonk to Raleigh…but one can dream!!
Would not be first time that a company of IBM’s size moved. I would not expect HQ to move but could be some divistion looking for a more techie location.
I would think that it would be easy to move the HQ and leave major operations in Amonk. Just take the power vacuum out and locate it elsewhere. I wonder what the tax implications would be for such a move, or whether or not NY would preempt such a move with some sort of deal.
Baseless speculation/dream: IBM HQ to the office tower on Fayettville St across from new Waldorf Astoria convention center hotel!
I don’t always go to Comic Con or a computer conference, but when I do…I stay at the Waldorf Astoria! lol
There are no major operations in Armonk. Just a bunch of “executives” that have spent their lives trying to climb the corporate mountain!!
Major operations are scattered all over the globe with Raleigh/RTP being one of the largest sites globally…maybe the largest now with RHT…although India has quite a few (hence the nickname Indian business machines)
Well, if all major operations are gone, then a move of HQ to Raleigh should be easier.
Besides, a friend who worked for IBM told me years ago that having sunshine in Armonk is like putting whipped cream on a pile of shit.
The only good thing about Armonk is the access to NYC and its airports (EWR, JFK, LGA) all within 1h depending on traffic. Not sure if the upper management is using corporate jets out of Westchester County Airport which is basically next to IBM
IBM is a dinosaur and I can assure you the execs act like a classic dinosaur company…hell yes they take private jets everywhere they go
Guess Execs luxury is hold over from when IBM could do no wrong. I even did some IT contact work for a few companies around the 1980 range where computer room said IBM ROOM on doors, even though the work I was dosing was replacing the IBM systems with, believe it or not, Texas Instruments computer systems.
Everyone likes to bash on corporate jets as a symbol of corporate excess, and in many cases they are, but not always. Sometimes they can be cheaper and more efficient than airline travel. The devil is always in the details.
Well have to agree, but do not need the flashest jet money can buy. They can be big time savers in the right saturation. Once the owner of a company and other officials had me fly with them in company jet from a small airport in western Virginia to Atlanta for a demo and sales pitch on new computer system at company I was working with on the sale. Would have otherwise been a 2 day or more trip by road and at least over night by commercial air. Two hours flying time each way, from small airport near their office to airport near office outside Atlanta. Left after breakfast and back in time for Dinner. Saved them a lot of time and landed me a juicy sale and conversion project.
Some slight glimmers in this paywall story: Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst’s IBM promotion brightens spotlight on Raleigh
Insiders hope Whitehurst’s elevation to an even higher role will bring even more acclaim – and potentially opportunities – to the region.
“This move brightens the spotlight on the Triangle region as a center of gravity for the tech sector, which can only help attract attention and growth,” …
More tech for Raleigh out of this deal? Or just the region. Either way, the momentum is increasing…
And Scott Levitan, president and CEO of Research Triangle Park, says, “IBM has successfully reinvented itself many times – its origin was producing time clocks. We are experiencing its evolution with the acquisition of Red Hat and incorporating two innovation companies into one. “The appointment of Mr. Whitehurst as president can only bode well for our region.”
Are they needing to expand in downtown?
Raleigh, too, has felt the promise of that vision, as in 2011, Whitehurst announced the company would be moving from Raleigh’s Centennial Campus to the downtown Progress Energy building that would help define the skyline as Red Hat Tower. Today under Whitehurst, it’s bursting at the seams and re-configuring its footprint to accommodate the job growth.
Wilmington will be closed for the weekend. Word has it they are bringing down the Red Hat roof. Let the speculation begin!
Big Blue
Noooo not Red Hat, I hope everything is ok and it’s just maintenance