By Jon Fortt
Publication Date: 2026-04-22 20:50:00
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna speaks at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, on March 11, 2025.
Andy Wenstrand | Sxsw Conference & Festivals | Getty Images
International Business Machines CEO Arvind Krishna told CNBC on Wednesday that the Iran war and other geopolitical uncertainty are leading the company to guide cautiously.
IBM beat analyst first-quarter earnings estimates on the top and bottom lines, but maintained guidance due to the macro uncertainty.
“Is there going to be an issue around oil as inflation goes up? Will that drive people to spend a bit less? If they spend a bit less, it’s not a direct impact on me, but a lot of consumer companies are my clients, like Walmart. If people are buying less at Walmart, they’re going to find a way to control their costs, so then they’ll buy less,” he said.
Krishna noted that despite the Iran conflict, IBM’s Middle East business did well.
The company reported first-quarter revenue of $15.92 billion, beating the $15.62 billion consensus estimate…
