I began to write this book over twenty years ago. My purpose was to tell the true story about how IBM made too many companies successful by standing down rather than competing. As a Senior IBM Systems Engineer, I saw it all happen. The $ Trillion dollar PC marketplace is the biggest example of IBM's major losses. Yet, the PC was just one of many industry sub-segments over the years in which IBM failed miserably. We need more than ten fingers to count them all. This book tells all the great stories about how industries came into being and entrepreneurs often in their early twenties became billionaires. This book tells you which companies did the best; which regular guys became industry moguls; and who has the money today. Among other things, it tells us all who owes IBM the biggest thank you's. This book in many ways is about Big Blue's misgivings about being too successful in too many IT product areas. IBM Executives over the years from the CEO on down were all paid very well to manage all aspects of the company's business. Unfortunately each and every CEO after the Watsons and T. Vincent Learson, focused on just one aspect of IBM - its mainframe business. So the IBM Chieftains lost just about every other opportunity including the PC. They simply handed very crafty "entrepreneurs," the whole game. IBM created many industry billionaires simply by not watching its assets. Microsoft alone has four documented billionaires on its list which is topped by Bill Gates, the richest man in the world at $102 billion. Additionally, there are over 12,000 other Microsoft employees on the millionaire's list. IBM paid for all of the zillionaires. In Chapter 1, I show each and every billionaire and a number of millionaires. I then go on in sixty-nine chapters to tell you the essence of the full Microsoft / IBM story along with many other stories of IBM squandering many other real business opportunities. These are enjoyable to read but hard to believe. You are going to love this book, designed by an IBM insider and told with respect for IBM and with the truth that all of these great stories deserve. You will not want to put this book down. Kelly not only gives the facts about the new billionaires; he also provides a history lesson about the entire industry that will capture your imagination. You'll learn how all these billionaires got their money. The book begins with the introduction of the first computer and it takes you on a ride through all of the major events that occurred during each IBM CEO's tenure. The story thus begins with Thomas Watson Sr, as CEO and continues chapter by chapter to the state of the computer industry today. Kelly does it all in 69 easy-to-read enjoyable chapters. Few books are must-read but Thank You IBM! will quickly be at the top of your list and America's most read list.
