IBM, which employees say stands for “I’ve Been Moved” due to frequent relocation directives, is moving research scientists from its Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, to its Silicon Valley Lab a few miles east.
The fate of the facility has yet to be clarified. Founded in 1986 in an idyllic location on the outskirts of San Jose, Almaden is an important piece of IBM’s once-upon-a-time history as the most important tech company in the world, and the scientists based there pioneered innovations like the world’s first hard disk drive and relational database, the company once boasted.
The move has been confirmed by Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and VP of Quantum, in a social media post, amid claims that IBM employees have been asked not to disclose the plan on social media.
Gambetta was responding to a valedictory lament for the Almaden facility from Darrell Long, a distinguished engineering professor emeritus at UC Santa Cruz, who reported hearing about the lab’s demise from a colleague.
“I wanted to help clarify some of the details and address any misconceptions that exist,” Gambetta wrote. “IBM has been spearheading the development of breakthrough technologies in Silicon Valley for over 60 years and we are very proud of our work across the region and at the Almaden site.
“And I’m happy to say that the efforts of our talented teams of researchers will absolutely continue on. We are simply shifting our teams’ location to IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose. IBM Research is a world class institution and we continue to focus on delivering new innovations, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, for our company and our clients. Our commitment to the Valley is a key part of that mission.”
IBM has not publicly stated whether the departure of research staff will lead to the layoff of other workers at the site or to the closure of the Almaden Research Center. But it’s unlikely Big Blue intends to maintain underutilized space indefinitely. Unconfirmed comments in discussion forums suggest the site will be closed by the end of the year.
When The Register phoned the Almaden Research Center to ask about this, the receptionist said she could not comment. IBM’s public relations team has not responded to a request for comment.
Despite the lack of public confirmation about what will become of the site, researchers responding to Long’s post have been sharing their dismay at the research center’s anticipated end.
This echoes a familiar employee gripe – the nickname ‘I’ve Been Moved’ has been associated with IBM for decades.
Lately, IBM’s “return to client” initiative – to get remote workers back into corporate offices – has bristled more about being moved around. Many believe corporate directives to work on-site have an ulterior motive – to avoid layoff costs by encouraging the voluntary resignation of older, more expensive employees who have established lives in their communities and don’t want to relocate.
Later this year, IBM plans to lay off 59 employees and close its office in Coppell, Texas, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.
In May, a crew completed the demolition of IBM’s former Endicott, New York manufacturing center, known as “The Birthplace of IBM.” The company had sold it off years before.®
Corrected to reflect that IBM did not own the Endicott property when it was demolished.