IBM has laid off its entire staff in Russia after suspending operations in March following the country”™s invasion of Ukraine.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna announced the decision in an internal memo sent to the Armonk-headquartered company”™s Russian staff on May 30; the memo was only made public this week.
“We chose to suspend operations so that we could evaluate longer-term options while continuing to pay and provide for our employees in Russia,” Krishna said. “As the consequences of the war continue to mount and uncertainty about its long-term ramifications grows, we have now made the decision to carry out an orderly wind-down of IBM”™s business in Russia. We see this move as both right and necessary, and a natural next step following our business suspension.”
IBM did not provide an exact number of people impacted, only noting that “several hundred” would be out of work.
“Our colleagues in Russia have, through no fault of their own, endured months of stress and uncertainty,” he added. “We recognize that this news is difficult, and I want to assure them that IBM will continue to stand by them and take all reasonable steps to provide support and make their transition as orderly as possible.”
