It would be naive to think IBM upper management didn't run simulations of letting go 100,000 employees in order to optimize profits or focus operations . Letting go not in the sense of actually firing people but also by selling divisions or splitting up the company. It doesn't mean they will do it (right away), but it's not as ridiculous as you would like it to be. One thing's for sure: more than 11 consecutive quarters revenue losses will have a drastic effect on the workforce of IBM.