IBM Pollyanna Principle

proper noun

The axiom that "machines should work; people should think".

“e.g. machines should do all the hard work, freeing people to think (hence the reference to Pollyanna)”

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Meanings

proper nounthe IBM Pollyanna Principle
  1. The axiom that "machines should work; people should think".

    e.g. machines should do all the hard work, freeing people to think (hence the reference to Pollyanna)

    1 more example

    e.g. most of the world's major problems result from machines that fail to work, and people who fail to think.

Origin

From Pollyanna principle, and in reference to the technology company IBM.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

IBM Pollyanna Principle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IBM%20Pollyanna%20Principle

MLA

“IBM Pollyanna Principle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IBM%20Pollyanna%20Principle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “IBM Pollyanna Principle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IBM%20Pollyanna%20Principle.

Source: IBM Pollyanna Principle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.