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The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBM

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The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBMThe first complete look at one of America's legendary business leaders This groundbreaking biography by Kevin Maney, acclaimed technology columnist for USA Today, offers fresh insight and new information on one of the twentieth century's greatest business figures. Over the course of forty two years, Thomas J. Watson took a failing business called The Computer Tabulating Recording Company and transformed it into IBM, the world's first and most famous

The first complete look at one of America's legendary business leaders

This groundbreaking biography by Kevin Maney, acclaimed technology columnist for USA Today, offers fresh insight and new information on one of the twentieth century's greatest business figures. Over the course of forty-two years, Thomas J. Watson took a failing business called The Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company and transformed it into IBM, the world's first and most famous high-tech company. The Maverick and His Machine is the first modern biography of this business titan. Maney secured exclusive access to hundreds of boxes of Watson's long-forgotten papers, and he has produced the only complete picture of Watson the man and Watson the legendary business leader. These uncovered documents reveal new information about how Watson bet the company in the 1920s on tabulating machines-the forerunners to computers-and how he daringly beat the Great Depression of the 1930s. The documents also lead to new insights concerning the controversy that has followed Watson: his suppos ed coll usion with Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

Maney paints a vivid portrait of Watson, uncovers his motivations, and offers needed context on his mammoth role in the course of modern business history. Jim Collins, author of the bestsellers Good to Great and Built to Last, writes in the Foreword to Maney's book: "Leaders like Watson are like forces of nature-almost terrifying in their release of energy and unpredictable volatility, but underneath they still adhere to certain patterns and principles. The patterns and principles might be hard to see amidst the melee, but they are there nonetheless. It takes a gifted person of insight to highlight those patterns, and that is exactly what Kevin Maney does in this book."

The Maverick and His Machine also includes never-before-published photos of Watson from IBM's archives, showing Watson in greater detail than any book ever has before. Essential reading for every businessperson, tech junkie, and IBM follower, the book is also full of the kind of personal detail and reconstructed events that make it a page-turning story for general readers. The Maverick and the Machine is poised to be one of the most important business biographies in years.

Kevin Maney is a nationally syndicated, award-winning technology columnist at USA Today, where he has been since 1985. He is a cover story writer whose story about IBM's bet-the-company move gained him national recognition. He was voted best technology columnist by the business journalism publication TJFR. Marketing Computers magazine has four times named him one of the most influential technology columnists. He is the author of Wiley's MEGAMEDIA SHAKEOUT: The Inside Story of the Leaders and the Losers in the Exploding Communications Industry, which was a Business Week Bestseller.
Residence: Clifton, VA .
"Watson was clearly a genius with a thousand helpers, yet he managed to build an institution that could transcend the genius."-from the Foreword by Jim Collins
"Like all great biographers, Kevin Maney gives us an engaging story . . .his fascinating and definitive book about IBM's founder is replete with amazing revelations and character lessons that resonate today."-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, bestselling author of Evolve and When Giants Learn to Dance

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 04/17/2003
ISBN: 9780471414636
Pages: 512
Weight: 1.94lbs
Size: 9.06h x 6.36w x 1.58d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 03/17/2003 pg. 61
Harvard Business Review 05/01/2003 pg. 24
Business Week 05/12/2003 pg. 18
Library Journal 06/15/2003 pg. 81
Business Week 12/08/2003 pg. 20
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SKU: 56319645265

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Holbytla
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 3
Not for chewers
Color: Blue, Color: Blue
Ok, first off, my dog absolutely loved this toy. Still loves it. However: it only took him two days to utterly destroy the part that made it interactive. The rope fastened to the small interior plastic part that is moved by the rechargeable motor was too soft for him and he chewed it off right at the root, where it attached. This makes the toy immobile. It still makes noise and vibrates, but it no longer leaps and bounces. So now he carries it around while it vibrates inside his jaws and I watch his ears jiggle and make sure he doesn’t eat the whole thing. Please note: this is a medium sized Corgi, not a huge dog like a Rottweiler. There is no way to add a new rope to that interior plastic piece: they are made as an inseparable unit. You have to buy the full replacement set which includes a new cover. I would recommend this toy for someone whose dog is NOT a chewer. For someone whose dog loves to chase, and is excited by noise. If those pesky squirrels chattering outside really get to him, this toy will be his new favorite. But if your dog likes to chew and has more than two teeth in his mouth, this toy is not a great choice and you should spend your money on something that will last a bit longer. It’s not a good value for the money. I bought this original toy and a replacement cover+rope set, and I’m not going to give him the replacement cover for a long, long time. I can’t afford to replace these every few days! Thankfully he still loves the toy despite the fact that it doesn’t run away from him, and hasn’t tried to eat the foam covering, so it’s just the softness of the rope I am disappointed in. But I’m not going to buy this again and can’t recommend it highly, based on my experience, despite my dog loving it and the joy I get watching his ears shake as he trots around the house holding onto this expensive mouth vibrator.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
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Keytomenu
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent product
Color: Orange
Excellent product gave as gift and was enjoyed by the labrador. The tail makes all the difference. Would recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2026
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R Munoz Jr.
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 2
Not worth it - (2nd day of having product)
Color: Orange
Fun toy out of the box - Frenchie dog. Charge does not last long. Even with recharging, the motor seems weaker. It asks to keep the charging port dry, but it is not slobber-proof, so when opened, the entire inside is wet - I have to blow-dry the charging port in order to be able to recharge it Day 2 - movement is so weak, but it shows full charge. Barking sound is no longer audible. If you have a chewer... not great as it is easily broken apart. Not really worth it. At least it's cheaper on Amazon than their website.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2026
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G Harvey
Houston, US
★★★★★ 4
Interactive Dog Toy
Color: Orange
My 100 lb shephard/golden mix likes this toy but she tends to get agitated with it. I have to keep an eye on her because she destroys toys in record time. The only complaint I really have is once she gets interested and plays for a long time it needs to be charged and she doesn't want me to take it to be charged. Wish the charge lasted a little longer or there were two of the inner parts so one could charge while she is playing with the second one. The plastic ball could be made of rubber so the teeth marks don't show up.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2026
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jewelrycook
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Bouncy, not hard, and good value.
Style: Fetch Balls (Pack of 10), Size: 2.5 inch
Great balls for the ball launcher and not rockhard like some of the solid rubber balls. These have great bounce, and because of the two holes, they make a fun whistling noise as they fly through the air. My dogs love them and they are a good value. By the way, if you throw them too hard, they will go through chain-link and no climb fence because they squish a bit!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2026

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