The 1950s were a period of unprecedented growth in the United States of America. The post war boom led to many innovations in technology. One of the most terrifying innovations was the development of the hydrogen bomb. It was the age of the home bomb shelter, and the classic "Duck and Cover" public service announcements. In this environment IBM was in the midst of significant growth.
The search began for a location for a new headquarters. Traditionally corporations located key offices within major cities, IBM took another approach. There were many reasons to place the headquarters outside of the New York area, but one of the key reasons was blast radius. In the event the United States entered a nuclear war, New York was one of the most likely targets, and other major cities were next in line. This was one of the reasons IBM chose Armonk, which was close enough to New York City to provide the labor pool necessary, but far enough away to survive if the city was attacked.
So remember, when choosing a location for a new office, take into account, labor, taxes, rent, and blast radius from the nearest large city.
-Professor (Uncle) Walter
LOL thanks, I'll take that in mind. Does Bill Gates own IBM ?
Posted by: Olivia | 09/21/2009 at 10:05 PM
No, IBM is quite a different entity from Bill Gates and Microsoft, although they do have a sordid past together.
Posted by: Professor (Uncle) Walter | 09/22/2009 at 02:21 PM