IBM executives discussed in emails how to force out older workers and derided them as \u201cdinobabies\u201d who should be made an \u201cextinct species,\u201d according to a court filing in an age discrimination case against the company.<\/p>\n
The communications show \u201chighly incriminating animus\u201d against older employees by officials who at the time were in the company\u2019s \u201chighest ranks,\u201d according to the filing Friday.<\/p>\n
The partially redacted filing says the emails surfaced in separate arbitration proceedings but it doesn\u2019t reveal the identities of the company officials or indicate when they were speaking. A judge has ordered the release of versions of the underlying documents.<\/p>\n
In one email chain, an International Business Machines Corp official described a plan to \u201caccelerate change by inviting the \u2018dinobabies\u2019 (new species) to leave\u201d and turn them into an \u201cExtinct species,\u201d according to the filing.<\/p>\n
Company officials also complained about IBM\u2019s \u201cdated maternal workforce\u201d that \u201cmust change,\u201d and discussed frustration that IBM had a much lower share of millennials in its workforce than a competitor, but said its share would increase following layoffs, according to the filing.<\/p>\n
An IBM spokesperson said in a statement that the company never engaged in systematic age discrimination and it terminated employees because of changing business conditions, not because of their age. In 2020, the median age of IBM\u2019s US workforce was 48, the same as it was in 2010, according to the statement.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson also said the language cited in the emails \u201cis not consistent with the respect IBM has for its employees and as the facts clearly show, it does not reflect company practices or policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company faces age bias complaints in arbitration and court proceedings by former employees across the country.<\/p>\n
A former IBM vice president of human resources said in a court deposition in one of the cases that the company faced talent recruitment problems and determined one way to show millennials that IBM was not \u201can old fuddy duddy organisation\u201d was to make itself appear \u201cas [a] cool, trendy organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s filing was submitted by Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer who represents hundreds of workers suing the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cIBM has engaged in egregious age discrimination,\u201d Liss-Riordan said in an interview Friday. \u201cIBM has tried to use arbitration clauses to shield that evidence from the public and other employees who are trying to build their cases of discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n
The case is Lohnn v. International Business Machines Corp., 21-cv-06379, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.<\/p>\n