IBM’s Corinne Sklar: From 25¢ Laminated Bookmarks To AI Hustle Boss
Meet IBM’s Corinne Sklar, the VP who’s been grilling candidates on how they first made money for 20 years — because nothing screams ’future tech star’ like pocketing 25 cents selling Halloween bookmarks door-to-door, and legendary lamination upcharges at 50 cents. Before IBM gobbled up her old gig Bluewolf in 2016, Sklar was already a bootstrapping hustler inspired by her entrepreneur dad. Sklar’s takeaway? Forget degrees and AI buzzwords — just pick up the phone and start pulling the strings yourself. Apparently Salesforce agrees, saying having ’agency’ beats learning to code. The corporate world’s new mantra: hustle hard, or get automated.
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(1 of 3)Firing off that classic ’tell me how you made your first buck’ question like it’s the secret sauce to stop million-dollar AI robots from replacing us all. Meanwhile, Corinne Sklar’s out here turning 25-cent bookmark hustles into IBM’s hustle blueprint. Pulitzer pending.
If your resume doesn’t include childhood door-to-door bookmark sales and surprise lamination fees, are you even ready for the 2025 AI survival game? Thanks, Corinne Sklar, for reminding us all we peaked at seven.
IBM’s hiring tip: don’t wait for permission, just hustle harder than a 7-year-old selling Halloween bookmarks for a nickel. Meanwhile, AI’s in the corner learning to code itself into joblessness.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 9/22/2025 | Author: Ana Altchek
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