If "RA'd", you are not eligible for rehire for 5 years. Also, managers are instructed to ignore those people trying to land another position before their RA kicks in. In the history of the company, I have never heard of anyone ever finding a job prior to dismissal. The last thing they want to do is hire someone that knows what they're doing at their old salary. The company is freefall, they don't want successes. Just money for the Execs. Not when they can get 4x Millenial children for the same price. BTW - new hire kids under the age of 25 make up most of the inbounds, and the average tenure is 3.5 years before they move on.
The observation that "we're headed for a recession" has been posted somewhere on the internet every hour or so for the last 20 years. Eventually, the poster will be correct; then they crow like that obnoxious cat that sits on your fence all night.
Sure, it'll be Bush's fault, and Obama's fault (with emphasis on that one), Clinton's fault, and of course Trumps fault too.
But the problem itself isn't so broad and easy to predict as "we're all gonna die." The problem is that IBM is failing rapidly, and will cease to exist in short order. Like so many other fat corps that were built by the 60-70's generation that have failed like IBM.
The type-G personalities (G for Greed) move in to scrape off the $billions of cash that get loosened up when the coffers get raided. The Wall Streeters always follow some leader because they're typically incapable of doing their own research. In this case it's Warren.
Ginny has no idea what IBM does, or how it does it. She could have been just as good at selling shoes or plumbing supplies. Like Carley and a few others, she was pushed up into the ranks because she's a woman. This is a very chic and in-vogue move that makes for good talk at parties and fundraisers. Top it off with a dozen or so hardcore lobbyists who show up in DC with briefcases stuffed with $2mil each, and we have a recipe for success. For them.
We minions, however, just suffer. When Ginny talks to the press, she doesn't mention the 400k people working for IBM. Nor their working conditions. She just talks about Wall St, the board, some nonsense about the company's direction she was told to speak to, and herself.
IBM will drop down to some level of insignificance in the next year or so, then it'll be bought out by some company that may have no interest whatsoever in IT. Ginny, making roughly $41mil/year since 2010, is quite comfy. As is the board. And the media continue to ignore IBM as they understandably don't know how to cover it. Can IBM really be this corrupt, rotten and treacherous? Dang, if they report it like that, it'd be like blasting the USA. Wait - IBM is America's company isn't it? It's not? That's a very uneasy feeling if you're not working for IBM. If you work[ed] for IBM, then you've already come to terms with it. Your butt has been sore for 2 dozen years and nobody believes you. You, you, whiner you.
As a good IBM employee, you never really had a good job when you think back on it. The C levels intentionally made the place inconceivably hostile. Otherwise worthless middle managers, those placed due to their PhD etc, swaggered their way into quickly firing 229,000 people since 2009. And these are the types of people that enjoyed doing it. These middle managers like to see your facial expression, and hear your voice when you are fired. They get off on it. But they were trained for this by IBM.
I was devastated when I was fired (RA'd) a few years ago. However, I was picked up rather quickly by a good sized aerospace company and have been grinning from ear-ear ever since. Even get raises. And a bonus. And my boss smiles. I didn't spend 25 years cowering when my boss comes into my office.
The same thing will happen to you, as a fired IBMer, unless you let yourself slide down into management at IBM. If not, you'll soon realize the RA-day was the happiest day in your life.