13 Years - 13 Reasons

This is the day 13 years ago, I joined IBM. My dear friend Senthil Chandramohan had an important role to play in bringing me from Minnesota to sunny California.
13 years in the same company in silicon valley might seem odd to most of millennial workers but its pretty common for IBMers in the development lab where I work.
So what are the reasons kept me at IBM last 13 years?

1. The legacy - The company who invented the first dial recorder in 1888 which later became the foundation for Tabulating and recording devices. The history keeps repeating. 
2. The Vision - 100+ years of visionary ideas and breakthrough in technology. Look at the vision, IBM researcher H. P. Luhn had in 1958 and what he envisions about a Business Intelligence System is so true and relevant even today. 
3. Innovation - What IBM has given to the world starting from 1880 till today is unmatched. Invention of Tabulating machine for Census Beauro in 1890, the electronic recording machine in 1920s to the first computing system (S/360) with interchangeable software to the invention of DRAM in 1966
4. The People - For most people in our profession, working with highly talented professionals is the most valuable reward. I feel fortunate to be able to talk to some legends in my lab and Almaden research lab. 
5. Friends - Its proven, you stick to a company if your best friends work for the same company. 
6. The Management - Again, most of the employee surveys show that one of the reasons people quit their job because of their manager/supervisor. IBM has created a very matured management culture which has been very supportive since my 1st day. 
7. Re-invention - This is the company successfully reinvented itself many times  in the past and constantly work towards reinventing for the changing flat world.
8. Co-creation of Value - This is something very unique as we keep client at the core when we create a product or services. Its about co-creation of value together. 
9. Mutual trust - We know that employee's trust in managers lead to high performance. I have been fortunate to be part of high performing team through out my 13 years at IBM.
10. The workplace - I can't ignore the fact that I do not waste 1 hr in traffic every day. This is the place - one of a kind in the quiet coyote valley.
11. Sense of purpose - Everything I do is aligned with a purpose. When our client uses our product or services to solve their business problem, it is fulfilling. This is what keeps me intrinsically motivated. 
12. The global team - Think about this global pool of ~460,000 knowledge worker. No kidding, we do leverage our team member's talent and skills all the time. This is unmatched and unparalleled. 
13. Feeling lucky 13 years on 13 :-)