North Carolina will pay IBM $750,000 for 10 jobs
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North Carolina will do just about anything to keep technology companies happy, including offering IBM up to $750,000 to bring just 10 jobs to the state.
IBM has revealed plans to construct a $362m so-called “leadership data center” in either North Carolina, New York or Colorado. Hoping to secure this center, Durham County officials in North Carolina have just committed to a seven-year, $750,000 incentive package for IBM. That’s just chump change in the big scheme of things, but we’re sure IBM appreciates the effort.
You might think a $362m data plant would provide a lot of work for locals. But that’s not the case. IBM thinks the new facility will only require about 10 staff.
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And companies such as Google and Microsoft also receive perks to build their new centers with taxpayers in various states around the US agreeing to major breaks around power consumption costs. That’s quite handy for the likes of Google and Microsoft, since they’re so strapped for cash and battling it out with rivals in low-margin businesses where just a few nickels can be the difference between maintaining a monopoly and going bust.
Anyway, the Durham folks justify the IBM package by saying that 1,000 or so executives will visit the new data center every year and spend money at hotels, restaurants, bars and strip clubs.
Ten employees being meddled with by 1000 execs per year? That’s 20 execs visiting per week all expecting meetings and PowerPoints and other general ego-fluffing.
Let’s hope they spend all their time at the strip clubs and golf courses otherwise those 10 poor bastards won’t get any work done.