Customer Reviews

Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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This book tells one of the most fascinating, indeed rivetting, stories that I have ever read. It is about the building of one of the great American businesses of the 20C, but also much much more: it is about the conflict of an extraordinarily hard-driving father and his talented though psychologically burdened and rebellious son. From the beginning, they were at eachothers' throats and never relented in their conflict, even when it became evident that the son's genius surpassed that of his father to build an empire that can only be compared to the accomplishments of the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus. The book also covers a good deal of American business history from the great depression to the beginning of the stagnation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thus, it can be read on numerous levels.

There are so many insights in it that it will bear re-reading for a long time to come. Watson Jr. was acutely aware of the cost of success and was brutally honest about his own failings as a manager and family man. I find myself remembering scenes in that book, running them in my mind as examples from which to learn.

Warmly recommended.

Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

Almost everyone in the U.S. and many parts of the world recognize the three letters "IBM." Where did it start? How did it become so big and encompassing in our lives? This is an autobiography of Tom Watson Jr., former President of IBM and son of the company's founder Tomas Watson Sr. Auto-biographies usually paint more of the bright side than the dark side. But he gave a lot his personal perceptions, fears, thoughts, and family relationships in this book, and for that respect is deserved. He never came off as condescending considering the wealth and power he attained. He was a poor student, who later became his own man serving in WWII. He did look death in the face on a few occasions. He proved from his own actions to became a good-thinking businessman while ascending to the helm at IBM, which was no easy task. He appears to understand human psychology well also. He also knew whent to get out of the strainfull rat race and enjoy his interests outside of the company.

He came across as a humanist who valued his employees in a personal way uncommon in corporate America. As the company grew so quickly and became so large, there were obvious "big company" problems and issues to address. And he did his best to tackle them.

The book provided a lot of interesting historical background of
his father, the origins of IBM and it's growth. a lot of information about what was going on in American business and technology in the 1950s and 60s is noted as well. Good auto-biography.

It is always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.

Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it is remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.

I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it is hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. If you do have that special interest in IBM history, however, it is an interesting book and well executed.

Absolutely riveting. Tom Watson Jr has bared his soul in this book. Shows how he turned IBM into the giant it is today and at the same time gives glimpses of errors and mistakes that Mangers can make when temper gets the better of them. A must read book

What is the difference between a widely successful company and a mediocre one? What was the difference between IBM and, say, the makers of UNIVAC? The difference was not in the technology or in being at the right place at the right time. The difference was IBM's leadership and in particular Thomas J. Watson Jr's leadership. There are exceedingly few examples in the history of business when a very successful company risks everything to climb to an even higher level. That is what IBM did with project 360 and it is possible that no other person except Watson Jr. was in a position to implement such a daring undertaking. He had courage, vision, and, yes, credibility. IMHO, Tomas J. Watson Jr. is the manager of the century (20th)and through this book you can gain some insights into his leadership style.

I just finished this book from cover to cover. With Tom Watson Jr's candid narration of his life, I found this book very relevant to myself who is nearly forty and is going through a late mid-life re-orientation. The items that I found particularly useful in this book are: life lessons, Tom Watson Jr's rationale behind some of this decisions and hindsight on what could have been done better.

From CTR to IBM - A transformation that has changed the world of computing and our lives forever. The emotional attachment and frankness with which Thomas Watson Jr. narrates this story is just unparalleled among similar books on corporate biographies.

What a contrast between father and son in terms of their outlook, lifestyle and thinking. No wonder we see very frequent emotional outbursts between the two- throughout the book. But the deep sense of personal regard, gratitude and affection that the son has towards his father is of the highest order.

Watson Jr., a mediocre student, fond of flying and fun finally emerges as one of the most successful leaders of America's widely admired Corporation. Apart from business, his experiences during he second world war, a short stint as Ambassador in Russia and contribution to public policy are a first person account of a personal story that is narrated in true American style. Due credit goes to Olive, an understanding wife who emerges as the woman behind this successful businessman and a very temperamental husband.

Excellent!

Indeed a truly heart-warming, rivetting story. One of the best - possibly the best - bios that I have ever read. This is a story about IBM, the big blue corporate monolith. Yet in its core, this is really the story of a Son, a father and the relationship between them. Once into the pages of the book, you will soon realise that IBM is just a necessary but incidental backdrop to a father-son relationship..It's a book that talks of a strict yet loving father, and a son working his way up to gain his father's approval and affection. A very humane tale, devoid of any overt management jargon or mantra that seems to be the norm in most bios by business leaders, it is a surprise that nobody has thought of making a movie out of this story.

Touching. Warmly recommend to everyone.

Para cualquier persona que trabaje en IBM, debería ser considerado Lectura Obligatoria. El cómo nace la empresa en la que uno trabaja, sus inicios y, sobre todo, el espíritu emprendedor del fundador de una empresa, deben ser también inspiradores para cualquier persona que quiera tener éxito en su empresa.