Thomas J. Watson
Thomas J. Watson
(1914-1952) Founding CEO, for whom the supercomputer is named(1914-1952) Founding CEO, for whom the supercomputer is named
Thomas Watson Jr.
Thomas Watson Jr.
(1952-1971) Succeeded his father, oversaw IBM's transformation into the big leagues(1952-1971) Succeeded his father, oversaw IBM's transformation into the big leagues
T. Vincent Learson
T. Vincent Learson
(1971-1973) Hosted IBM's first day for women employees(1971-1973) Hosted IBM's first day for women employees
Frank T. Cary
Frank T. Cary
(1973-1981) Identified the PC as a possible challenge to IBM's mainframes(1973-1981) Identified the PC as a possible challenge to IBM's mainframes
John R. Opel
John R. Opel
(1981-1985) Got Bill Gates to create an operating system for IBM's personal computer(1981-1985) Got Bill Gates to create an operating system for IBM's personal computer
John F. Akers
John F. Akers
(1985-1993) Missed tech trends and presided over IBM's decline(1985-1993) Missed tech trends and presided over IBM's decline
Louis V. Gerstner
Louis V. Gerstner
(1993-2002) Turned IBM around with tough decisions and a push into IT services(1993-2002) Turned IBM around with tough decisions and a push into IT services
Samuel J. Palmisano
(2002-2011) Sold off PCs and kept IBM growing for a decade with a focus on software
Ginni Rometty
Ginni Rometty
(2012-present)(2012-present)
