SKU: 56319645265

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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Nash Crawford
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice toy for Chewers!
Was chewed in a day or so, but she loved it.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
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Beth
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Still in one piece and played with!
Color: Checkers - Dinos Bruto (Purple), Size: Mini
Very durable for my little King Charles Chewer. She's had it for a while now and all though the chewing phase has calmed down, she still can be somewhat rough with the toys. The little dino is standing firm. It was a battle she figured she couldn't win with Dino. Now he's a fetch/ tug o war toy that still gets a few nibbles.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2026
K
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Kimmi Bear
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 4
DONT BUY THE ELEPHANT, ITS NO GOOD. but GR8 BRAND!
Color: Checkers - Elephant (Gray), Size: Large
The elephant toy had no trunk by the FIRST day! The elephant now looks like an angry Koala bear OR an angry trunk less elephant(whichever u want to say) I LOVE the donkey and dinosaur toys so I bought the elephant confidently, thinking I had nothing to worry about. I wouldn't have spent money on this knowing the trunk would be chewed off in a matter of minutes. My Bella usually chews but she has had her donkey and dinosaurs with the chew guard for MONTHS and there are NO TEARS OR RIPS even with her playing and chewing on them ROUGHLY all day. If you buy any of these type toys I DO highly recommend the donkey or dinosaurs ONLY. The elephant being chewed up in a matter of minutes really makes me angry that I ever spent the money on it. HAD I known it wouldn't be the high quality dog toy I'm used to from GoDog, I would've just bought a second donkey or dino! Now Bella doesn't get her new toy for the month (I try 2 buy her a new stuffed toy or 2 about 1 time a month whenever I have the extra money for it) I guess she will have to go without this month because I spent it on this now trunkless elephant/angry koala:( Whichever name you call it, it is now going to be trash. UPDATE! If you contact the GODOG company they will send one replacement toy for your pet! They also asked me my pet's size, breed and age in order to send the best possible toy! They sent Bella a snake that has held up Extremely WELL! It's great and so far is my favorite(and one of Bella's favorites) The snake has less sqeaky things in it so she doesn't have the drsire to tear it apart immediately to retrieve them by rippong it to shreds:) My updated rating is for the MANUFACTURER'S GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. The fact that they actually replaced it was good but the fact that they went that extra mile by researching the best toy match for my Bella was above and beyond! If you have a Godog toy that went bust right away, contact the manufacturer for a replacement. If you give them your dog's age, weight and breed they will even try to match your pets replacement toy with something that is better suited to your dog's chewing style. (Bella's style is destructive haha) Good luck, ya'll!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016
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AmberC
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
My Dobermans favorite toy to destroy, and one of our recommended picks.
Color: Checkers - Elephant (Gray), Size: Large
Ok, here's an honest breakdown review. I have a 6 month old Doberman who shreds every stuffed animal and dog bed he's come across. He's one of the worst chewers I've owned. We have tried a WIDE variety of stuffed toys. That said, this elephant is his favorite toy. I have ordered 4 of them so far, and just ordered another 4-pack on a buy three get one free deal. The elephant stands out above all the other stuffed creatures from goDog for me as to durability. Hence why I keep buying more. But they usually last about 2-3 weeks on average. In our house, the poor creatures are subjected to vicious, crazy, shaking of the head, helicopter type rotation. It' so hard if it hits your bare arm or leg it actually stings especially when its wet. Then the old, put it between his legs laying down, tearing at the legs action. The limbs are usually the first things to go over time. But they are each almost self sealing, so you clean up as little fluff and keep using it. Eventually the pup reaches the main body and finishes it off. For a normal light to normal chewer, one of two will get you a long way. For those of us resigned to having zoomie type manic chewers that need a constant supply of toys, 2-3 week durability is pretty sound too. I do not recommend the green cheaper monster. It lasted about 45 minutes. The free replacement took about 3 days. Hopefully this aids you in your decision!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2026
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Ashley
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Very durable for rowdy pups
Color: Checkers - Elephant (Gray), Size: Large
This toy has outlasted any other dog toy I have ever bought. I have one large and one medium dog who share toys, fight over toys, chew them to death and still play with them. It might be because it isn't one of their favorites. I don't know. All I know is that our house is littered with dog toys in different states of destruction and this elephant toy has very little damage. It has definitely been in the dog toy rotation. I had this toy for 2 months without any major damage. The day I wrote the review the dogs tore the leg off! I still think it is a good toy. Some toys lose the stuffing or squeaker the first day.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2025

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