Defining American greatness: IBM from Watson to Trump

Abstract

Reflections on a firm that encapsulated the American Century.

References

1. Watson, T., Jr, and Petre, P. Father, Son & Co: My Life at IBM and Beyond. Bantam, NY, 1990. One of a handful of truly excellent business memoirs, this covers Watson Jr.'s impressions of his father as well as his own work as leader of IBM.
2. Maney, K. The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBM. Wiley, NY, 2003. Biography of the elder Watson, focused on his difficult personality and role as the "first celebrity CEO."
3. Usselman, S. IBM and its Imitators: Organizational Capabilities and the Emergence of the International Computer Industry. Business History Review 22, 1 (Jan. 1993), 1-35. An award-winning analysis of IBM's early involvement in computers.
4. Pugh, E.W. Memories That Shaped an Industry: Decision Leading to IBM System/360. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1984.
5. Pugh, E.W. Building IBM: Shaping an Industry and its Technologies. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1994. An insider analysis of the firm.
6. Paju, P., and Haigh, T. IBM rebuilds Europe: The curious case of the transnational typewriter. Enterprise & Society 17, 2 (Feb. 2016), 265-300.

Index Terms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • History of computing