IBM is leaving Russia, the exit process will be “planned”. The announcement was made by IBM CEO Arvin Krishna, whose letter was published on the official IBM website on June 7.
“As the effects of the war continue to grow and there is growing uncertainty about its long-term consequences, we have decided to systematically close IBM’s business in Russia,” Krishna said.
He added that after the closure of business in Russia in March 2022, the company considers the move appropriate, necessary and normal.
Krishna has backed Russian workers, for whom the company’s decision is “bad news.” Top managers have assured that IBM will continue their support. He added that the agency had been taking care of the safety of IBM workers and their families in the “affected areas” for several months.
Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhailov Fedorov welcomed IBM’s decision.
“Leading technology companies are leaving Russia, leaving it alone with their own anger, ignorance and frustration,” he wrote in the Telegram.
Context:
- IBM, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of computers and software of all kinds, has not provided services or sold products and technologies in Russia since March 3. On March 5, Arvind Krishna said that the organization had condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- On May 10, Krishna told Reuters in a comment that he did not know how long IBM would be able to pay its employees in Russia amid sanctions against Russia. The CEO mentioned “several hundred” Russian employees of the company.
- Dozens of major technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, etc., have cut off supplies to Russia or announced their withdrawal from the occupying power since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.