IBM

Praise

“[An] excellent and I am tempted to label definitive book…. The research and background context is amazing and the book is readable throughout.”
—Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

“A good read. It is engaging and replete with juicy tidbits. The detailed discussion about sales, arguably the firm’s most influential function and its main source of competitiveness for much of the twentieth century, is the book’s key contribution to the literature on IBM.”
—Nature

“[IBM] touches but lightly on the history of technology and is written primarily with a readership of business historians and corporate professionals in mind. Cortada ascribes IBM’s brand success more to its historical managerial outlook and sales culture than its engineering units…. Authoritative.”
—TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION

“A behemoth of a book for a behemoth of a company…. Chronicles the century-plus long span of a company that once dominated American business. As a narrative history of a sprawling business, it succeeds, with Cortada weaving in more scholarly historiographical debates and analysis as relevant throughout the book. The book is massive and exhaustively researched…. An ambitious and well-executed narrative business history, and many different readers will find something of value in its many pages.”
—Information and Culture

“Cortada provides a world-spanning example of an alternative corporate culture approach that demanded sustained effort from its employees—but treated them accordingly.”
—Journal of American History

“Unlike previous IBM stories by other authors, Cortada takes the time to engage in scholarly debate on relevant topics throughout each chapter. In doing so, it offers a robust and thought-provoking discussion of the 130-year history (from 1880 to 2012) of one of the most important and iconic companies of the 20th century.”
—Arena Pública