Thomas Watson
Updated: 12/01/2019 by Computer Hope
Name: Thomas J. Watson, Sr.
Born: February 17, 1874, Campbell, New York, USA
Death: June 19, 1956 (Age: 82)
Computer-related contributions
- Chairman and CEO of IBM who developed its distinctive management style and corporate culture.
- Oversaw IBM's growth from 1914 to 1956, and turned the company into a highly-effective selling organization, based largely around punched card tabulating machines.
- He was one of the richest men of his time, and was called the "world's greatest salesman" when he died in 1956.
Honors and awards
- TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century (1998).
- Called "the greatest capitalist in history" by Fortune Magazine (1987).
- Inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame (1976).
- Vermilye Medal (1967).
- Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon B. Johnson (1964).
Quotes
"The way to succeed is to double your error rate."
"Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops."