Ross Perot's Days At Big Blue

As a young and ambitious IBM salesman, he alienated many of his colleagues with his sharp-elbow tactics

You can tell a great deal about tycoons from those pivotal moments before they became rich. Ross Perot's launching pad was IBM, where he spent his late 20s and early 30s (1957-62) selling computers from the firm's Dallas office. In mid-1962 Perot quit to start Electronic Data Systems, the source of his $3 billion fortune.

| TIME has tracked down more than 20 former IBM salesmen and managers, most now in their 60s and 70s, who worked closely with Perot in those early years. Some of their memories are fading, a number of key players are dead, and documents are virtually...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!