Life and family of Thomas Jr.

Little Watson was born in 19 14. Little Tom's name has been with him all his life. Even if he becomes an old man who is nearly 80 years old, he is still called Little Tom. Being naughty since childhood, he was called "terrible Tommy". 12 years old, bought a bottle of weasel smelly glands. When the whole school assembled, he ran to the main ventilation duct with a smelly gland bottle in his hand. The whole floor stinks. He created the most brilliant and successful moment in school life. As a result, I was forced to suspend school temporarily. It took this guy six years to finish three schools. When I was in college, it was my rich and powerful parents who put pressure on the president of Brown University. Little Watson has no good impression of IBM run by his father. When I visited the factory as a child, I was most impressed by the strong smoke, noise and pungent metallic smell. 1937, little Watson went to IBM sales school and stayed there for two years until the end of his studies. Little Watson became an ordinary salesman. But most of the time and energy are spent on flying and picking up girls. His love affair is full of buzz in the company. But he is stubborn: "I can't let IBM dominate my life."

The outbreak of World War II gave young Watson a chance to escape. He joined the National Guard. He is still very bold. He once volunteered as a flight observer and flew to Myanmar through enemy gunfire. As a result, the fog was so thick that they could see nothing. Judging from the altimeter, they should have hit a mountain. Military career helped him get rid of his father's shadow and gain confidence. He finally picked up the phone and told his father that he would return to IBM. This is, of course, the wish that old Watson has been looking forward to for many years. He became a salesman and got an extremely relaxed Wall Street business area. As a result, he completed the annual sales quota on June 5438+1October 2.

Old Watson is very suspicious of those huge things made of vacuum tubes and electronic parts. These things are ugly and sad. They are made up of many creaking machines and sound like a room full of people weaving. He even asserted: "The demand for computers in the world market is only about five." The father and son had a fierce quarrel. Once, he clashed with his father on the airport runway, and finally said loudly, "Shit, can you never leave me?"

After Watson Jr. became the second person of IBM, he immediately innovated the research institution. In the direction of the company's development, a fundamental reform was implemented. 1950 in may, mcdowell was appointed as the head of the laboratory, and a large number of talents in electronic technology were recruited. The development of "national defense computer" is only an adventure that little Watson led IBM into the field of electronic technology, and it is a complete revolution in the company's development direction. 195 1 year, IBM decided to use computers for developers and hired von Neumann as the company's scientific consultant. 1952 and 12 years, IBM developed the first computer with stored programs, which is a computer in the usual sense. It is called IBM 70 1.

On the eve of the 1952 general election, RAND provided CBS with a Univac computer to predict the results. The computer predicted that Eisenhower would win by a narrow margin. At that time, Univac became an instant hit and was called "unparalleled electronic brain". Of course, the most exciting thing is little Watson.

1In April, 1953, the headquarters of IBM in new york finally ushered in glory. 150 of the best American scientists and business leaders attended the grand ceremony of IBM-70 1 International Computer. 1956, the general election once every four years has come and has never been seen on TV since.

To Univac computer, but full of IBM logo. At this time, IBM has occupied about 70% of the market share.

Super adventure to win a brilliant victory

After Watson Jr. was promoted to chairman and chairman, he began the biggest adventure in his life: producing the world-famous "IBM360 system". This move, which took five years and cost billions of dollars, was called "super adventure" by Fortune magazine at that time.

The "IBM 360 System" project is of great significance for IBM to enter its peak period. Engineering development alone cost 750 million dollars, most of which was the development cost of system software, and 4.5 billion dollars was used to build factories and add spare parts, and 60 thousand employees were recruited for this purpose. This investment even exceeded the investment in the plan to build an atomic bomb during World War II. This is a big gamble of little Watson, and of course it is a big win. 1April 7, 964 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of IBM by Watson Sr. In new york, young Watson rented a direct train to Bo Town, intercepted more than 200 journalists and held a grand 360 computer conference. At the same time, press conferences of different scales were held in 63 cities in the United States and 14 countries.

"Model 360 system computer" is not only a great success in business, but also a breakthrough in the whole computer architecture, making "compatibility" a concept deeply rooted in people's hearts, the loudest slogan to promote the revolution of computer industry, and the most basic belief of computer civilization. 1965, hundreds of 360 computers left the factory. By the end of 1966, 8,000 computers had left the factory, which made IBM's annual income exceed $4 billion and its pre-tax profit as high as 10 billion. The five-year "bet" of $5 billion has finally come out. Little Watson and IBM became the biggest winners in history.

By 1966, the company's annual revenue doubled from five years ago, reaching 4 billion dollars. Brunei Sen, the hero of 360 computer, was promoted to president. Watson created so much wealth for shareholders that he was named "the greatest capitalist in history" by Happiness magazine. But he did something that today's president won't do, and that is to take the initiative to reduce salary. He thinks his stock options are too rich, and he can't accept a high salary any more.

A stern and generous boss

As a strict boss, Watson Jr. helped set the tone for a tense manager's career in 1950s and 1960s, but at the same time, he provided generous salary and welfare plans for employees. Little Watson said, "We don't want to look like a greedy pig in the eyes of others."

Little Watson's father is surrounded by obedient people, but he is surrounded by what he calls "surly people": "I never hesitate to promote people I don't like. An assistant who makes you feel comfortable-the kind of person you like to fish with-is a big trap. I'm looking for a man who is sharp-edged, surly and strict to almost boring. They can see the truth clearly and be blunt with you. " Little Watson also set up a so-called "penalty spot" for people who made mistakes-temporarily but embarrassedly shifting them from the "fast lane".

What makes IBM more famous is that it pays all employees, offers generous salary and welfare plans, and actually guarantees lifelong employment. Unprecedented growth ensures that employees get the above preferential treatment. Long before Microsoft's millionaires were born, IBM's millionaires spread all over the region where the company had branches like Chili noodles.

1969 65438+1October 17, IBM encountered anti-monopoly law and began to get involved in a protracted lawsuit. This year was also a recession in the United States, and the annual growth rate of IBM declined rapidly. Little Watson is under a lot of stress. 197 1 Finally, little Watson was hospitalized for myocardial infarction. Two months after leaving the hospital, he told the board that he was retiring. June 1972, officially submitted his resignation. After unloading the heavy burden, little Watson dragged his weak body to New Zealand Island. But this did not change his bad mood at all, which made his wife Oliver, who had been together for more than 30 years, unbearable and threatened to divorce. Little Watson just came to his senses and took out the means of a desperate teenager to pursue Oliver again. 1993 65438+February 3 1, little Watson died of stroke complications at the age of 79.

Wife is a supermodel who has been to Vogue.

Little Watson and his wife were very loving, and their marriage lasted for 52 years until little Watson died. Little Mrs Watson is very beautiful. When she was young, she was a famous model. After marrying little Watson, she began to devote herself to educating her husband and children and retired from the background.

Oliver Cowell was not little Watson's first love. Before her, little Watson loved a woman, but he never revealed the name of his first lover. Little Watson just said, "Although I am only 19 years old, I haven't gone to college yet. My love for this girl made me feel inseparable for the first time. It was not until five years later that I met Oliver, who later became my wife, that I never had any other emotional experience. "

At the age of 24, little Watson married the beautiful Oliver Cowell, a famous model who appeared on the cover of Vogue and other magazines. After marriage, Oliver devoted himself to the education of his children and never thought of returning to the literary and art circles. Oliver loves sports, especially skiing and sailing. She is also a perfectionist. Little Watson once bought her a diamond ring, very big, 2 carats, but the quality was not exquisite. Oliver saw the flaws in the diamond and said that she would rather have a small diamond without flaws than a big diamond with flaws. Little Watson was stimulated and took the diamond back. A few years later, he finally bought Oliver a perfect diamond of the same size.

Oliver and little Watson have a boy, five girls, six children and 65,438+08 grandchildren. This is a huge family. Oliver's relationship with little Watson lasted for 52 years until little Watson died. June165438+1October 65438+March 2004, Mrs. Watson, aged 86, died peacefully surrounded by her family.

Oliver is keen on all kinds of social charity activities, and has successively funded public welfare undertakings such as the New York Botanical Garden, the International Union of Young Women's Christian Associations, Greenwich Hospital, and Watson Institute of International Studies at Brown University. To thank Oliver, Greenwich Hospital named a hospital building after Oliver and little Watson the year after her death.

The Watson family has always been concerned about international affairs, especially after the young Watson worked in the Soviet Union as an American ambassador under President Carter for two years. After Mr. and Mrs. Watson returned from Moscow, Mr. Watson wanted to open a research center to study the most pressing international issue-the threat of nuclear war between the two superpowers. As the American ambassador to the Soviet Union, Mr. Watson personally felt that the United States and the Soviet Union had reached the brink of nuclear war. Watson Jr. came to Brown University and invited Mark Garrison, his former American ambassador to the Soviet Union, as the leader of the research center. 1986, Little Watson Center for International Political Development was formally established. 199 1, the research center was named Watson. 1995, Watson Research Center was hired by Brown University as the Institute of International Politics.

Thomas j. buer sch Wilson, Dean of Watson School of International Politics, commented: "The two generations of Watson family continued Mr. Watson's concern for international politics in his later years, and they actively devoted themselves to preventing the outbreak of nuclear war. After the death of Mr. Watson Jr., his wife Oliver and his daughter Lucinda Watson took over the banner to guide the college to engage in more complicated undertakings. The death of Mrs. Watson Jr. deprived our college of a great friend and a generous patron. "

Most children are not engaged in business.

The little Watson couple have six children, a boy and five girls: Watson III, Janet, Oliver, Lucinda, Susan and Helen. The six lively and lovely children mentioned in Watson's autobiography are now middle-aged, which may be the shadow left by his father's tyrannical temper at home. When they grow up, most of them deliberately keep their distance from the business community.

Watson III, the eldest son, liked to boss his sisters around when he was a child. Now he is the president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, in charge of the thomas watson Family Foundation, and married a painter's wife. Their daughter Bonnie got a master's degree in education from new york University and married the son of an architect. After marriage, the couple taught in the same primary school.

Janet, who liked reading since she was a child, became attached to books when she grew up. 1977, she founded the famous book &; Co. Bookstore is located in Madison Avenue, new york. This bookstore mainly sells novels and poems, and has become a representative cultural bookstore in new york. However, after entering the 1990s, due to the squeeze of large book supermarkets and rising rents, bookstores unfortunately closed down, causing a sensation in the American cultural circles at that time, and some even spontaneously sponsored funds to keep the bookstores. Later, Janet became a publisher of a publishing house. Janet devoted herself to culture and art all her life. She was the vice chairman of the American Poetry Society, the curator of the new york Social Library and the judge of the American National Book Award. Janet has been married twice. Her current husband is a social activist and serves as the chairman of the International Birth Control Committee. Her grandmother is margaret Sanger, a famous pioneer of birth control movement in the United States.

Olive, who likes to call her father Tom's third daughter since she was a child, has always been a maverick and later became a member of the board of directors of the American Gay Task Force. IBM's tolerant attitude towards homosexuality is related to the influence of Auliffe.

Lucinda is the closest of Watson's children to the business circle. She is a professor at Haas Business School of Berkeley University, runs her own consulting company, and visits business celebrities with the convenience of Watson family descendants. In 2004, she published how they achieved it-the story of life and career success.

Susan is the only Watson family member who works for IBM at present. 1983 joined IBM as a programmer, 1997 as the general manager of network and personal computer business. Now he is the vice president of transformation of IBM TeleWeb, responsible for the website and online commerce of IBM Group.

Helen is the youngest daughter of little Watson. I studied business interior decoration in college and experienced two marriages. My current husband Christopher is a successful businessman who runs a huge trading empire.

Little Watson's sister Jane is described as an ambitious woman in little Watson's autobiography, but unfortunately, she fell ill before the age of 50 and died young. Her husband john owen is an outstanding diplomat. Former US Deputy Secretary of State and US Ambassador to France, died in 2000. They have a daughter and a son. The youngest son, Owen III, is a famous businessman. In 197, he was named one of the1000 families and individuals with the most real estate in the United States by American Fortune magazine.

Since 1970s, with the retirement of little Watson and the death of his brothers and sisters, the Watson family gradually disappeared behind the IBM empire.