Rather sensibly, IBM tapped Errol Morris to create films commemorating the company’s 100th anniversary. Even when a guy delivers slightly underwhelming lines like, “We changed the way the world shops,” this one, They Were There, is pretty awesome.
My dad worked for IBM for decades, long enough for me to have a bias for white dress shirts ingrained into my psyche. And I did interview Errol Morris that one time.
And while I can understand why it’s not in there, I do kind of wish the company would, when celebrating its history, acknowledge the longstanding, critical role IBM, its technology, and its German subsidiary played in the Holocaust. Because they were there. And that’s certainly more important than changing the way the world shops.
IBM Centennial Film: They Were There – People who changed the way the world works [youtube via daringfireball]
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the making of, by greg allen