Yeah if something you install doesn't work, you get the blame. If IBM supplies something that doesn't work (likely), you get to blame them instead.

Between "works" and "doesn't work" there is a full rainbow of possible answers, KPIs, yearly reviews in a network of matrix reporting.

There will be market for their services. Maybe a different one, but there will be.

That's a pretty outdated phrase, even in enterprise.

By no means it is an outdated phrase. Ask any startup sales person!

I personally know a VP who was fired for buying "IBM Cloud." You can absolutely get flak for choosing IBM these days, even at a stodgy enterprise.

The gist is still current, but you need to fill in AWS as the current uncontroversial choice.

Must be a very terrible company to work for if they are firing people solely on them picking X over Y.