One of the biggest fears about AI was that it would kill tech jobs and shrink the software industry. The logic seemed straightforward. If AI made developers much more productive, tech companies would need fewer of them. That would mean fewer software subscriptions, known as “seats,” because each worker typically has their own account. Investors
IBM shares fell more than 25% at the market close on Tuesday after the company said it had misinterpreted the boom in AI spending. On Tuesday, eight days before the company’s scheduled earnings conference call, CEO Arvind Krishna released a letter to shareholders detailing a quarterly “performance shortfall,” including lower-than-expected revenue. “While we anticipated some
