Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond (Perfect Paperback)

by Thomas J. Watson (Author), Peter Petre (Author) "In the spring of 1987, not long after celebrating my seventy-third birthday, I took my helicopter out to follow the scenes of my childhood..." (more)
Key Phrases: typewriter division, pavilion space, tabulating machine, New York, United States, Control Data (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Watson...does a remarkable thing in his memoirs: He tells the truth."
--The Wall Street Journal

"An exciting history of the rise of the American computer industry, written from a unique perspective. But this surprisingly candid book has another dimension. It's about love, about learning how to love."
--The Washington Post Book World

"A refreshingly candid memoir by one of the truly remarkable figures of our time."
--Walter Cronkite

"Highly recommended! An incredible and exciting life story that I couldn't put down."
--John Sculley, former chairman and chief executive officer, Apple Computer

"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue...and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth."
--The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."
--The Economist


"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue -- and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth."                 --The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."--The Economist --> -- Review

Review
"Watson...does a remarkable thing in his memoirs: He tells the truth."
--The Wall Street Journal

"An exciting history of the rise of the American computer industry, written from a unique perspective. But this surprisingly candid book has another dimension. It's about love, about learning how to love."
--The Washington Post Book World

"A refreshingly candid memoir by one of the truly remarkable figures of our time."
--Walter Cronkite

"Highly recommended! An incredible and exciting life story that I couldn't put down."
--John Sculley, former chairman and chief executive officer, Apple Computer

"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue...and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth."
--The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."
--The Economist


"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue -- and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth."                 --The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."--The Economist -->

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (February 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553380834
• ISBN-13: 978-0553380835
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #631,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars better than a novel, January 8, 2002

By	Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat interesting and fairly candid account of IBM, November 17, 2002

By	sir_isaac_newton (UK) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Humanist, November 25, 2001

By	K. Johnson (US/Asia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.