Mr. McKinsey, Clay Cowan, is gone after just about 6 months. Love that Jonathan shoehorned it into the end of his all hands today. Surprised no one’s mentioned it here yet.
Did he actually accomplish anything while he was here?
14 replies (most recent on top)
Check out this thread on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/IBM/comments/1ks6c5w/rip_to_cmo_clay_after_only_6_months_thoughts_on/
RIP to CMO Clay after only 6 months. Thoughts on this crazy town and chaos!?!?!
Clay was a total clown, did nothing for the biz, not inspiring or motivating AT ALL & was toxic. However, it speaks volumes to the leadership that hired him after looking for 2 years...... just wow. AND no decent CMO reports to the head of Comms & Marketing or whatever Jonathan called himself, but they report to the CEO. All around, IBM still has no brand relevance, leadership doesn't care, which is really sad b/c it could be so great, and JA only cares about slashing the budget with human sacrifice to free up cash flow b/c he's done nothing for the business... Godspeed for the remaining IBMers.
https://techrights.org/n/2025/05/21/IBM_Has_Allegedly_Just_Sacked_Mr_McKinsey_McK_Clay_Cowan_Its_Fo.shtml
@gz i work in marketing for IBM and we do exactly What you said - B2B marketing - client decks, product pages, events, one-pagers, various cross sell initiatives
It's okay, guys. IBM doesn't need people. WatsonX will handle the marketing.
Can someone show me an example of IBM Marketing?
Since the company is all Business to Business, what kind of marketing is being done?
Holy Sh*t Batman ! That's the sort of inside scoop that only the Register can put out without batting an eye.
And Alvind, Krabanaugh, Blob and the P1mpmunks have to sit down and STFU.
Ouch! Check these out
IBM Has Allegedly Just Sacked Mr. McKinsey (McK), Clay Cowan, Its Fourth CMO in a Few Years
https://techrights.org/n/2025/05/21/IBM_Has_Allegedly_Just_Sacked_Mr_McKinsey_McK_Clay_Cowan_Its_Fo.shtml
@OP+1jv3efv1c called it
- Clay C departed 2025 after 6 months
- Jon A 2022 - 2024
- Carla P departed 2022 after 11 months
- Michelle P departed 2021
https://www.thelayoff.com/post/@OP+1jv3efv1c
So much uncertainty in IBM Marketing - layoffs, co location, CMO's lasting a nano-second yet Jonathon still standing when I have never seen such chaos and confusion in an organization in the 37 years I have been here. A year to bring this guy in, and he lasted as long as an Italian family dinner ...........unreal. Wonder what that cost the company.
He probably looked around at how bad things are at IBM and said staying at this slop-shop will ruin my career so he left
That didn’t last long. Alvinds office hours lasts longer
What goes around, comes around - maybe Cowan wasn't accomplishing a whole lot of layoffs as Adashek (shake your bo--y) and Alvind wanted.
Now maybe the mother trucker-in-chief, Adashek will be exposed too and brought down for the corrupt P1mpmunk that he is. Won't happen soon enough.
I’m beyond livid. That cret*n cost me my career then lost his own job. Vile, vile people. There’s a special place reserved in he-l for these people.
Not a thing. In fact, I’m sure the reason he was given the boot was because he didn’t eliminate headcount fast enough since that’s JAs only goal and the only reason the McKenzieite was brought in. not that I have any interest in defending anybody from the cottage industry of consulting nonsense, but I wonder if his crime was that he actually believed he was brought here to do marketing. Poor fool… IBM only has one strategy which is to obliterate as many lives as possible.