Whether the story is true I can't say, but you're right about IBM. From Chip & Dan Heath's book Switch[0], page 173:

> In the 1960s, an executive at IBM made a decision that ended up losing the company $10 million (about $70 million in 2009 dollars). The CEO of IBM, Tom Watson, summoned the offending executive to his office at corporate headquarters. The journalist Paul B. Carroll described what happened next:

    As the executive cowered, Watson asked, "Do you know why I've asked you here?"
 
    The man replied, "I assume I'm here so you can fire me."
 
    Watson looked surprised.
 
    "Fire you?" he asked. "Of course not. I just spent $10 million educating you."

that's the one, thanks for digging it up!