From @WSJopinion: My company is being punished for sticking with U.S. manufacturing—as are our employees, the businesses we sell to, and ultimately Americans who share in the cost of these higher taxes, writes George Matouk Jr. https://t.co/fRP7fGWeSv ...

Core Insights - IBM's investment in artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in an overall increase in employment, despite replacing some human resources staff with AI agents [1][2] - The company has redirected its workforce towards critical thinking roles such as software engineering and sales, which require human interaction rather than rote tasks [3] - The impact of tariffs on IBM's financial performance has been minimal, but there are concerns about potential reductions in demand affecting discretionary spending in consulting [4][5] Employment and AI - IBM replaced a few hundred human resources staff with AI agents capable of performing various tasks, leading to an increase in hiring for programmers and salespeople [1] - The overall employment at IBM has increased due to the reallocation of resources into areas that require more human engagement [2] Critical Thinking Roles - The focus has shifted to "critical thinking" domains where human skills are essential, contrasting with the automation of routine processes [3] Tariff Impact - The CEO noted that the effect of tariffs on IBM's bottom line is limited, as most of its mainframe and quantum systems are produced domestically [4] - A potential demand reduction due to tariffs could impact the consulting business, with a threshold of 3-4% being manageable, while a 10% impact would necessitate more stringent management decisions [5] AI Cost and Demand - A decrease in AI costs is expected to drive demand for the technology, with usage anticipated to increase significantly as costs decline [6]