Signify Premium Insight: IBM Watson’s Path From Jeopardy to Jettison

The news that IBM is pulling out of healthcare might, at first, seem incongruous given that other recent stories have seen tech companies doing the opposite. Last April Microsoft acquired radiology transcription specialist Nuance for almost $20bn, while more recently Oracle announced it was buying up EHR vendor Cerner for close to $30bn. Other rumours, meanwhile, such as those suggesting that Amazon is looking to establish a presence in healthcare with an acquisition, potentially of M*Modal, also contribute to the overall sense that healthcare presents a significant opportunity for tech vendors.

IBM’s divestiture, however, brings its strategy more closely in alignment with its peers than news of a sale would suggest. What has changed is that, like Microsoft, Oracle and others, IBM