Business
Business

Stretching Cobb weather HQ: What IBM plans for Weather.com, apps

By Matt Kempner
Oct 30, 2015

Weather keeps poking its rainy, sunny, chilly, windy face into our business.

And we're about to find out whether a combo of one of the world's biggest tech companies with a weather forecasting powerhouse might change how industries operate.

IBM recently announced a deal to buy the digital and business-to-business forecasting side of Cobb County-based Weather Company, the parent of the Weather Channel. (IBM isn’t buying the Weather Channel, which will remain on its own for the moment at least.)

The purchase, which includes weather.com and related apps and other operations, hints at new ways consumers might be impacted by business capitalizing on more access to localized weather predictions. In the future, makers of self-driving cars could set the vehicles to react to what conditions are ahead. Retailers could rearrange what they do. Our alarms clocks could wake us early if rain threatens the morning commute.

ExploreCheck out more of what’s ahead, including questions about how IBM will deal with regular consumers, in the latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

Follow Matt Kempner on facebookFollow Matt Kempner on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Trains line the tracks during Tracks of Hope, an event hosted by Norfolk Southern in support of Hope Atlanta, in Forest Park, on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. Norfolk Southern has become a prominent corporate citizen in the metro region, donating millions to charitable causes. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific shareholders OK merger. Here’s what’s next.

The proposed mega-railroad company would be headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, sending anxiety through the company's Atlanta ranks, where Norfolk Southern is based.

Design firm chosen to turn Midtown Atlanta eyesore into high-profile park

The look and feel of a planned public park in Atlanta’s largest high-rise district is soon going to take form.

Atlanta area home prices fell in October with steep declines in some places

Metro Atlanta's median sales prices dropped in October as more inventory is on the market.

The Latest

Older model used vehicles for sale at an independent dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Nov. 11, 2023. Photo courtesy of Chris Hardesty.

Credit: Special

Beyond the odometer: What matters most in a used car

Why your car’s safety tech needs maintenance, too

OPINION

Saying goodbye to the Porsche 718 Cayman — for now

Featured

Prosecutor Skandalakis has previously suggested that pursuing criminal charges against President Donald Trump may not be feasible until after he leaves office in 2029. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prosecutor takes helm of Georgia case against Trump. But will he move forward?

A veteran Georgia prosecutor will decide the fate of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.

With some solar power tax breaks expiring, Georgians rush to catch the sun

Georgia solar installers say they’re seeing a surge of customers trying to install rooftop solar systems before federal tax credits go away at the end of the year.

‘Automatic for the People’: Weaver D’s still bonds Athens as era nears end

After feeding everyone from R.E.M. to Brian Kemp, and coining a phrase that went global, Dexter Weaver is preparing to close his storied Athens soul food restaurant.