IBM has a long history of emphasizing the importance of design, following the principle that “good design is good business.” It’s an ethos that dates to Thomas Watson Jr. when he launched the company’s first corporate design program. Over the years, IBM invested heavily in design, hiring designers in droves. In 2016, the company trained over 100,000 employees in “design thinking,” ensuring the user experience is prioritized in every product decision. IBM’s Enterprise Design Thinking program was a transformational approach to apply design thinking to meet its changing priorities, helping reduce development time by 75% and get products to market twice as fast. Despite IBM’s recent layoffs, struggles, and realignment, the company is still an advocate for design thinking in serving its customers and increasing its efficiency.