By Courtney Vinopal
Publication Date: 2026-02-12 20:54:00
A five-year plan is underway at IBM to invest $150 billion in US-based development of technologies like quantum computing and AI, building on a business priority that’s had implications for the company’s 300,000-person workforce.
The technology company overhauled its HR department back in 2017, developing an AI chatbot called AskHR to handle queries that were previously directed to HR business partners. Less than a decade later, in May 2025, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said AI had replaced the work of several hundred HR workers, allowing the company to hire additional programmers and salespeople.
Pursuing such AI-driven transformations prompted IBM to rethink its talent and total rewards strategies, CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux recently told HR Brew. The company regularly shares information with employees detailing how it expects skills and job roles to evolve, and places a premium on skills development, which in turn affects workers’ base pay, she said.
Tying skills to base compensation….
