History shows firing workers during an economic crisis is a mistake
By Kevin Maney
Business Insider
Thomas Watson Sr. ran IBM from 1914 to 1952, and was one of history’s great category designers. As described in a biography of Watson by CDA’s Kevin Maney, Watson created, defined and dominated the category of “data processing.”
One of the key moments in that category story was Watson’s decision during the Great Depression to double down on his business instead of laying off workers and cutting costs. As the Depression ended, IBM had no competition left in the category. Here’s that story, as it first appeared on Business Insider: