August 5, 2024 Bruce Maule, a former worldwide president of channel marketing at IBM, filed a lawsuit against IBM Canada in June 2022, alleging systematic age discrimination. Maule claimed that IBM replaced him with a younger employee under the guise of reducing headcount, despite offering him a retention contract just before his termination. He asserted that IBM Canada adopted discriminatory policies from IBM US, targeting older workers since 2013.

Maule’s lawsuit was bolstered by previous allegations and findings from the US Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and ProPublica. These sources revealed internal communications referring to older workers disparagingly and advocating for a shift towards hiring younger employees. Despite IBM’s denials of systematic age discrimination, the Ontario Superior Court allowed Maule’s claims to proceed, rejecting IBM Canada’s motion to dismiss his pleadings as irrelevant or scandalous.

The court acknowledged Maule’s claims, noting that his allegations provided necessary material facts to support systemic age discrimination, such as the termination of long-serving employees without cause and their replacement with younger, less experienced staff. IBM Canada has appealed the decision, with a hearing scheduled for May 2025.

There are reports that this is a part of a broader pattern of age discrimination allegations against IBM, with multiple lawsuits and settlements highlighting similar claims across its operations.