This month at Planet Mainframe the focus is on Talent and Training, so here at Trivia Challenge we’re testing (and hopefully expanding) your knowledge of a few mainframe trailblazers.
Today we’re looking at the life of Thomas J. Watson Jr., the transformational CEO of IBM who brought the mainframe to the world. Born just before the outbreak of the First World War, Watson’s life spanned much of the 20th century, and he played a central role in the massive technological change that the century saw play out.
The stories of Watson’s tenure at IBM – from his tense relationship with his father, IBM chairman and CEO Thomas Watson Sr., to the battles he fought to move IBM towards electronic computing – have become the stuff of myth. In his decades at the helm, he transformed IBM from a company built on a foundation of mechanically sorted punch cards into (in IBM’s words) “a divisionalized and professionally-managed high technology enterprise.”
Take our quiz and see how much you know about this mainframe pioneer’s career!
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.