Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond: Amazon.ca: Thomas J. Watson, Peter Petre: Books

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Review

"Watson...does a remarkable thing in his memoirs: He tells the truth."
--The Wall Street Journal

"An exciting history of the rise of the American computer industry, written from a unique perspective. But this surprisingly candid book has another dimension. It's about love, about learning how to love."
--The Washington Post Book World

"A refreshingly candid memoir by one of the truly remarkable figures of our time."
--Walter Cronkite

"Highly recommended! An incredible and exciting life story that I couldn't put down."
--John Sculley, former chairman and chief executive officer, Apple Computer

"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue...and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth."
--The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."
--The Economist

"A frank and revealing picture of Big Blue -- and a vivid inside look at the family that dominated its years of spectacular growth." --The Boston Globe

"A most compelling human drama of the family that dominated the life and times of America's most famous computer colossus."--The Economist -->

Book Description

In this eloquent first-person account of a family drama that changed the face of American business, the man who transformed IBM into the world's largest computer company reflects on his lifelong partnership with his father--and how their management style and shared dedication to excellence united to create a unique corporate culture that became the blueprint for the entire technology boom.

In the course of sixty years Thomas J. Watson Sr. and his son, Thomas J. Watson Jr., together built the international colossus that is IBM. This is their story: a riveting and revealing account of two men who loved each other--and fought each other--with a terrible fierceness.

But along with the story of a father and son, this is IBM's story too. It chronicles the management insights that shaped its course and its unique corporate culture, the style that made Thomas Watson Sr. one of America's most charismatic bosses, and the daring decisions by Thomas Watson Jr. that transformed IBM into the world's largest computing company. One of the greatest business-success stories of all time, Father, Son & Co. is a moving lesson for fathers who dream for their children, as well as a testament to American ingenuity and values, told in a disarmingly frank and eloquent voice.

Promising to remain an important business reference as we move into the next century, FATHER, SON & CO. takes a look at the management insight that helped to shape IBM's course and unique corporate culture. It looks at Watson, Sr., one of America's most charismatic bosses, and Watson, Jr., who spurred IBM into the computer age.

Ten years after its original publication, FATHER, SON & CO. remains a uniquely honest book. Watson's willingness to write about the loving but ferociously combative relationship he had with his father and the turbulent battles behind some of IBM's most far-reaching decisions gives readers rare insights into the realities of leadership. -->

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Readable portrait of an IT empire, Jan 12 2003

By

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond (Perfect Paperback)

It's always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.

Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it's remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.

I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it's hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. But as far as I was concerned it was an interesting book executed well.

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3.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat interesting and fairly candid account of IBM, Nov 18 2002

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sir_isaac_newton (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond (Perfect Paperback)

Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

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5.0 out of 5 stars better than a novel, Jan 8 2002

By

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond (Perfect Paperback)

This book tells one of the most fascinating, indeed rivetting, stories that I have ever read. It is about the building of one of the great American businesses of the 20C, but also much much more: it is about the conflict of an extraordinarily hard-driving father and his talented though psychologically burdened and rebellious son. From the beginning, they were at eachothers' throats and never relented in their conflict, even when it became evident that the son's genius surpassed that of his father to build an empire that can only be compared to the accomplishments of the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus. The book also covers a good deal of American business history from the great depression to the beginning of the stagnation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thus, it can be read on numerous levels.

There are so many insights in it that it will bear re-reading for a long time to come. Watson Jr. was acutely aware of the cost of success and was brutally honest about his own failings as a manager and family man. I find myself remembering scenes in that book, running them in my mind as examples from which to learn.

Warmly recommended.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
I just finished this book from cover to cover. With Tom Watson Jr's candid narration of his life, I found this book very relevant to myself who is nearly forty and is going... Read more

Published on Jan 1 2002 by Roger Lam

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
I just finished this book from cover to cover. With Tom Watson Jr's candid narration of his life, I found this book very relevant to myself who is nearly forty and is going... Read more