Buying IBM
There is an archaic saying “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”
Back in the mid 20th century, IBM was the safe bet in enterprise IT. Not the cheapest. Not the most innovative. But reliable, reputable, and most importantly: if things blew up, you wouldn’t get blamed. You chose the giant. The industry leader.
It’s a phrase soaked in risk aversion, corporate politics, and brand trust as a CYA strategy.
This mindset didn’t die with the mainframe. It just changed logos.
Today, the same impulse shows up in choices like buying AWS over DigitalOcean, choosing Salesforce over a leaner CRM, or going all-in on Microsoft 365. The instinct is the same: opt for the “safe” brand, not because it’s better—but because it’s defensible.
That’s the hidden cost of institutional risk aversion: decisions made to avoid blame, not create value.
It raises the question: Are we optimizing for outcomes—or alibis?
Created by Jim Smits and ChatGPT. For more information, please refer to AI Disclaimer.