His father, Watson Sr., the head of IBM, was a domineering man who subjected his son to a classic combination of emotional distance and cruelty. Watson Jr. responded by becoming a rebel and wastrel. Watson Sr., “the old man,” was a type familiar to our times: the tech titan who runs a large company as an extension of himself. The company “was run entirely out of one man’s breast pocket,” McElvenny and Wortman write. Watson Sr. “made all strategic decisions and most minor ones” and “delegated almost no authority.”

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Persons: Tom Watson Jr, Ralph Watson McElvenny, Marc Wortman Thomas J, Watson Jr, Tommy, ”, Watson Sr, “, ” Ralph Watson McElvenny, Marc Wortman, Dick Watson, Watson, Junior, McElvenny, ’, Ken Jennings Organizations: WHO, IBM, Wortman Locations: ’, France