IBM

The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) was founded on June 16, 1911, in Endicott, New York. It was a merger of four companies that manufactured punch card equipment and other office supplies. CTR was later renamed International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924. The company grew rapidly and became a leader in technology and innovation throughout the 20th century.

Announced on April 7, 1964, the IBM System/360 was a groundbreaking family of computers that established the concept of a comprehensive computer family with backward compatibility. It offered unprecedented scalability and marked a new era of enterprise computing, influencing computer architecture standards for decades. The System/360 transformed business computing and solidified IBM's position as a dominant force in the computer industry.

IBM released the IBM 5150, popularly known as the IBM PC, on August 12, 1981. It was the first personal computer released by IBM and set a new standard in personal computing. Featuring an Intel 8088 processor, it was designed with an open architecture, allowing third-party suppliers to develop compatible products. The IBM PC quickly became the industry standard and paved the way for the growth of the personal computing market.

On April 1, 1993, IBM reported a record annual loss of $8.1 billion for the fiscal year 1992. This staggering loss was attributed to the company's struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing computer industry, marked by the transition from mainframe computers to personal computing. The realization brought about a significant reorganization under the leadership of new CEO Louis V. Gerstner, who initiated a historic turnaround for IBM.

On May 11, 1997, IBM's chess-playing computer Deep Blue defeated the World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match, marking the first time a reigning world champion lost a match to a computer under standard chess tournament conditions. Deep Blue's victory was a landmark event in artificial intelligence and demonstrated the potential of computer technology to achieve complex problem solving.

On May 1, 2005, IBM completed the sale of its personal computer division to Lenovo for $1.75 billion. This marked IBM's exit from the PC hardware business, allowing the company to focus on higher-margin businesses such as consulting and software services. Lenovo, headquartered in Beijing, China, became an international player in the PC market overnight with the acquisition, gaining the iconic ThinkPad laptop brand.

IBM's artificial intelligence program, Watson, made headlines on February 16, 2011, by winning a special edition of the quiz show 'Jeopardy!' against two of the most successful champions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Watson's victory showcased IBM's advancements in natural language processing and artificial intelligence, highlighting the potential of AI in industries such as healthcare, finance, and customer service.

On January 9, 2014, IBM announced the sale of its x86 server business to Lenovo for $2.3 billion, marking a significant shift in IBM's business focus towards cloud computing and analytics. Lenovo, a leading Chinese technology company, acquired IBM's x86 server portfolio, which included servers for data centers. The sale allowed IBM to invest more in its strategic initiatives related to cloud computing and data analytics.

In July 2019, IBM completed its acquisition of Red Hat for approximately $34 billion, marking the largest software acquisition in history at that time. Red Hat, an open-source enterprise software company known for its Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform, became a unit of IBM's hybrid cloud division. The acquisition aimed to position IBM as a leader in the hybrid cloud market, empowering businesses to modernize their IT environments.

In November 2020, IBM announced the spin-off of its Managed Infrastructure Services unit into a new public company named Kyndryl. This move was part of IBM's strategy to focus more on cloud computing and AI capabilities. The new company, Kyndryl, would operate independently, managing IT infrastructure for clients worldwide. IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna emphasized that the spinoff would allow IBM to be more agile in adapting to technology changes.