Customer Reviews

FATHER, SON & CO.

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I found Father, Son & Co to be a very engaging, entertaining read. The book is the autobiography of Thomas Watson Jr. - son of Thomas Watson Sr., founder of IBM - who went on to oversee the evolution of IBM into a pioneer in computers and its continued success as an American and global corporate icon.

The book covers everything from Watson Jr.'s childhood, to his playboy college years, to his fascinating military tour of duty, to his remarkable ascent to the top of IBM, and his return to the public service following retirement from IBM. Along the way Watson relates stories that contain nuggets of business wisdom, family business insights, and general thoughts about life.

I don't know much about the history and evolution of IBM, but Watson Jr. does seem to attribute much of impetus for the transition from punchcards to computing to his doing, although he is not entirely uncritical of his actions over the years - for example, by his admitting responsibility for difficulties he felt he contributed to in the life of his brother.

I've not read many auto/biographies, so I can't compare this others, but I can say that from the content of this book, Thomas Watson Jr. led an incredibly colorful and interesting life, and left an important mark on the world.

Very well written and interesting account of the early days of IBM, and the evolution of its culture, and the men at its helm in the early days - Tom Watson Sr. and Jr. Interesting to see how visionary and risk taking they were.

This book is an excellent guideline if you're having trouble working with your father or son in the family business... Entertaining...