IBM issues shareholder warning ahead of earnings, citing AI capex shift and cybersecurity disruption

IBM sent an urgent letter to shareholders eight days before its earnings release, acknowledging a quarterly performance shortfall driven by customers reallocating capital spending toward AI hardware such as servers, storage, and memory, while cybersecurity issues also distracted clients. The disclosure has reignited analyst concerns about a “SaaSpocalypse,” with enterprise software budgets facing broader pressure as AI investment rises. The note also flagged that Palantir and ServiceNow (ONUS) could face similar headwinds.