Thread regarding IBM layoffs

@OP Don't believe everything you hear. When I was given 2 months notice along with my co-worker. All support for that account was sent to India. Reason I was told was I wasn't in IBM plans. But the account postpone a project for 3 weeks then I was in IBM plan cause I was needed for that project. Offered me 6 month notice from 2 and manager had to get project executive and delivery project executive involved to get the extension approved for RA.

@OP Fun fact: I too was told I was "safe", that I was crucial for the team and irreplaceable. Two weeks later I was swept up in the November 2025 RA along with many other "safe" and "crucial" people. Truly, there is nowhere to hide if your name appears on their spreadsheet.

@fc Albany has been rigged for years to keep a small group afloat not to help the site thrive, just to protect the same people. With little meaningful oversight from the outside, it was allowed to operate unchecked, creating the culture and environment we see today. And what is there to show for it? Very little revenue, if any, despite enormous operating costs. If IBM is ever broken up into separate businesses, Albany should be at the very top of the list for the chopping block or simply completely shuttered altogether.

@fb Yes, I agree. If a manager tells you you're crucial, that's very special and you will not be RAed. It simply cannot be done.

@fb there are some people in Albany who seem to have job security . They can get away with doing far less than most ny state workers. And they are high pay bands (they’ve all been there at the site at least 20 years, usually with ibm a lot longer), the work they do isn’t even critical. It’s sometimes about having dirt on people that makes them afraid to touch you

@OP Your manager says you're crucial, which means absolutely essential. The team cannot succeed without you. Therefore you have 100% job security.

@OP you’re not safe.

@OP Raspberries!

I bet your friend also told you just the tip. You're never safe, just like it's never just the tip.

Morgan Freeman voice-over cuts in: “ He was in fact not safe”

@OP Here's a data point for you, with the caveat that it's very old information. I was RA'd almost 20 years ago from what was then division 07 (what became GTS, and then later Kyndryl).

At that time, the person who had the most influence on RA decisions in any department and any division was the financial analyst. Every division has a bunch of these people, and at least one is assigned for every department. These people are the accountants. They keep spreadsheets listing every cost of every person and every resource. Every staff member (including pensions, insurance, etc.), every piece of real estate, plant, equipment, etc...the financlal analysts all know the score.

When the decisions came down, the 2nd and 3rd line managers all saw those numbers...who and what costs the company money. They made decisions on what had to go, and told the 1st lines how to proceed.

Could the 1st lines fight for an employee? Sure, they could...but at a cost. If employee A costs $150k, employee B costs $125k and employee C costs $100k, then division execs might tell the 1st line to get rid of employee A. But if the 1st line wants to keep employee A, then they STILL at least $150k of cost take-out...so they have to get rid of employees B and C. Sure, they now have to get rid of 2 people, but that's the price for keeping one expensive employee. You can have one expensive employee or two cheap employees, but you can't have both. Mixing and matching becomes a pain in the A, so what does that first line do?

Yeah, that first line will do what his upper management and that financial analyst told him to do in the first place. It makes it easier, and that first line might even keep their job a little longer (because the same cost takeout games are being played with the managers as well).

I was RA'd against my manager's will, decision came from a VP. But I don't care because I got 3 months severance and now have a fully remote job with higher pay and a promotion.

I got my 1-1 scheduled for Tuesday. It is happening.

@b3 I thought those were on a Thursday?

@OP the Lucky Winner lists were compiled after management meetings at least 2 months ago.

Now you just have to wait for that "special Tuesday" invitation for a 1-1 with your manager and the "So long, Farewell" email which follows thereafter.

Heartless and gutless company.

you can be very well lied to . although they might not know whether you will ultimately be picked for RA , they are part of submitting the lists of people in their team who can be included in future RAs so yes manager knows who are on the list that may get booted in future although they try to act innocent to prevent employees acting first . the worst part is they will lie to your face. never in my entire professional career was my trust broken so bad than my IBM management .. like a total 360 something on the face something else behind your back. as someone said dont trust the snakes

Managers are completely trustworthy. You have nothing to fear.

These managers are snakes

I was a top performer, worked nights and weekends, sacrificed many times to do a last minute request for my first and second line and I was RA'd

Any GDP or cash award was minimal. Instead I was given useless blue points. Generally speaking I got along with most of my colleagues, While I do not consider anyone at work my family or friend, I still care about them and I am sure a lot of them are thinking will this be my last day?

Eff these bloated greedy managers and executives, most could not tear their way out of a wet paper bag.

Bob got a good laugh from that.

@Op. There is no way your manager knows if you are safe or not. IBM has only been trading 2 days since the earnings miss was announced, and management didn’t anticipate a 70 billion dollar selloff. Now that Wall Street has decided that something fundamentally has changed, the IBM bean counters will exercise their well worn models to achieve whatever savings the CFO/CEO have determined is appropriate. Most likely over a billion in savings will have to come out immediately, with more coming out later if the execs believe the fundamental business strategy has changed. I suspect the immediate cost take out has inflated to be 2x what they thought would be needed once they became aware of the “miss” in June, and the big computer in the sky is in the process of deciding who stays and who goes. If nothing else, IBM is a well practiced financial machine at knowing where the burden rates are and how to trim them. NA and Northern Europe will take the bulk of the immediate hit, and I expect management will have to hit the restructure button much like Ginni did when she dumped microelectronics to GF and sold off intel servers to Lenovo when the same scenario hit her during her role as CEO. Either way all you can do is put your head down and march forward. I wish you good luck going forward as it’s going to be a bumpy remaining 2026.

@OP Let's just say that everyone at IBM is replaceable and/or expendable, more so if you are a US employee. That includes Arvind and his Pipmunks too.

Those who destroy the lives of others as IBM management has done will end up paying for their misdeeds sooner or later. Karma is a bi*ch.

@a5 too many of these stories. I have heard similar and ones just back from maternity leave. One whose wife just start chemo. IBM is soulless. It wasn’t always this way. But the leaders who have commandeered the leadership positions have made it this way. They only care about themselves not even ibm. It’s a major culture problem bends s and nickle should deeply look into and cut out the bad actors. These bad actors are not hard to find

My manager found out the day I was let go. As I boarded a flight to celebrate my wedding anniversary for a cruise, I was told. He was in tears.

Almost no one left is left in my team and he knows his time is running out as he works on useless things.

IBM is on a death march. When your number is up, it is up. It is like being eliminated by rogue shrapnel in a battle - impossible to predict or prevent.

My manager was given like 48 hour notice between getting the list and having to tell people. It came from complete left field and he explicitly told us the day before he got the list that we weren't part of the RAs.

They don't know. Worse, their management might actively lie, cause they don't want you leaving on YOUR terms, they want you leaving on India's terms.

i’ve had managers early say they were given the list of terminations from above them. so sometimes they simply don’t know.

Never ever trust them. Like ever. Remember they are out for their own personal gain. And if that means throwing you under the bus then bye Felecia. They will smile and lie to your face.

The direct managers create lists of candidates to be removed but 2nd line makes the call ultimately