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More drama at HP
Message #1 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 21 Sept 2011, 3:00 p.m.

Here

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #2 Posted by Namir on 21 Sept 2011, 3:08 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

And be run by a former big wig at eBay (yes I can spell it out right here because I am talking about a corporation)!! How about that! I hope they will eject Apotheker's behind!!!

Edited: 21 Sept 2011, 3:08 p.m.

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #3 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 21 Sept 2011, 3:18 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

I'm sure Bill and Dave would be rotating in their graves, if they knew what those overpaid manager *ssh*les are doing to their once proud company...

            
Re: More drama at HP
Message #4 Posted by Tim Wessman on 21 Sept 2011, 3:23 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Raymond Del Tondo

Quote:
I'm sure Bill and Dave would be rotating in their graves

It's part of the HP Going Green (tm) strategy. They've hooked up a generator and are using it to power corporate facilities. Dontcha know.

TW

PS - 7 months ago - Even got the "replacement" right.

                  
Re: More drama at HP
Message #5 Posted by Oliver Unter Ecker on 21 Sept 2011, 3:36 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Tim Wessman

Great link, thanks!

Quote:
Apotheker certainly qualified on those terms with the only downsides being his lack of hardware experience and that he’d been fired from SAP after only seven months.

I hadn't known that. This guy is incredible. A regular bomb.

Well, now that this is half out, I think it's almost a certainty.

I hope they will reverse the switch to SW and services idea, stop the insane Autonomy deal, and get back to what they're good at.

Sounds like it bodes well for the calculator group, too. Yay!

(I'm surprised how unprofessionally this is all conducted. Publicly announcing they *may* sell the PC business, they *may* fire the CEO..)

                        
Re: More drama at HP
Message #6 Posted by Thomas Radtke on 22 Sept 2011, 11:57 a.m.,
in response to message #5 by Oliver Unter Ecker

Quote:
[...] and get back to what they're good at.
What might that be? No rant intended, I'm asking seriously. The highest failure rate I had with consumer electronics was with HP. Marketing certainly doesn't belong to HPs strengths as well as cost cutting while preserving some level of quality isn't working for them. Also, I haven't seen any interesting inventions lately. What apparently remains is an attractive brand with not much behind it.

Please point out what's left.

:-(

                              
Re: More drama at HP
Message #7 Posted by Oliver Unter Ecker on 22 Sept 2011, 5:38 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by Thomas Radtke

Quote:
Quote:
[...] and get back to what they're good at.
What might that be? No rant intended, I'm asking seriously.

As you're asking seriously, I shall not respond with "calculators, of course."

I meant making and selling hardware.

HP is the #1 PC manufacturer in the world. By and large customers must approve of their products, or else HP wouldn't occupy that spot. It should be fair to call them "good at" something, based on this alone.

HP may not be the innovation engine it once was, but, as any technology company of their size, has deep pockets of innovation here and there. (One of them, arguably, the calculators group.)

I don't know much about HP's product lines, but I'm sure they're pushing the state of the art in a number of fields.

Also, HP has surely something left of the "HP Way".

Wikipedia tells us
"In September 2009, Newsweek ranked HP No.1 on its 2009 Green Rankings of America's 500 largest corporations"
and other things that indicate that HP is a "green" company.

If they're good at being green, they're good at their business, in my book, even if the business would be in boring commodity goods devoid of any innovation.

If you're doubtful that HP lives up to its potential with CEOs that knows zilch of technology and think about money before anything else, I'm with you. But this, of course, is the state of affairs with most big companies.

                                    
Re: More drama at HP
Message #8 Posted by Thomas Radtke on 23 Sept 2011, 7:29 a.m.,
in response to message #7 by Oliver Unter Ecker

Quote:
It should be fair to call them "good at" something [...]
Yes, I admitted already they have an excellent brand name. You know both german idioms: "auf seinen Lorbeeren ausruhen" and "Straßen benennt man nach Toten". That fits it best.
                  
Re: More drama at HP
Message #9 Posted by Namir on 21 Sept 2011, 3:36 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Tim Wessman

HP can still get into the software business a-la IBM, but they can do it slowly and gradually without axing existing business units. As the new software BU do well, they can transfer managers from the hardware BUs. At one point they can have a choice of keeping all of the BUs or selling the hardware-related ones (way down the road). Rushing into things is seldom the smart thing for huge corporations.

Edited: 21 Sept 2011, 3:37 p.m.

                  
Re: More drama at HP
Message #10 Posted by Howard Owen on 21 Sept 2011, 4:31 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Tim Wessman

Wow! Cringley really nailed that one!

So whatever happens to HP under Meg will be Jerry Brown's fault? :)

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #11 Posted by Brian Walsh on 21 Sept 2011, 3:22 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

An article on Slashdot today includes this link in a comment posted: http://www.cringely.com/2011/02/why-leo-apotheker-will-be-fired-from-hewlett-packard/

If the ax is going to fall, let it fall now.

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #12 Posted by Walter B on 21 Sept 2011, 3:43 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

Quite popular method: raise the frequency of CEO changes to stabilize a tumbling company :-/ I doubt Mark Hurd would have had to resign in any other big economy of the western world for the reasons heard - but ok, it's the decision of the board. Nor is it up to me to judge Leo's performance - simply too short to see any major footprints at HP. But the apparent new choice needs a lot of explanations: a failed candidate for gouvernor, having no idea of neither SW nor HW - she's the best the board could find?!? Good luck, HP, you'll need it!

            
Re: More drama at HP
Message #13 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 21 Sept 2011, 3:54 p.m.,
in response to message #12 by Walter B

But she understands the internet, marketing and sales. What else does she need to know ?

Edited: 21 Sept 2011, 3:55 p.m.

                  
Re: More drama at HP
Message #14 Posted by Walter B on 21 Sept 2011, 3:58 p.m.,
in response to message #13 by Michael de Estrada

Remember Carly? :-(

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #15 Posted by Howard Owen on 21 Sept 2011, 3:56 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

Quote:

Wall Street wasted no time in roaring its approval, sending shares in the largest U.S. technology company by sales up more than 11 percent for a market value gain of nearly $5 billion.

HP employees at all levels must be feeling quite dizzy at this point. That's not good for business, but Wall Street really hated Apotheker's recent moves. Let's hope Meg Whitman's similarity to Carly Fiorina goes no farther than being the second ex-CEO Republican politician to lose in California last year.

            
Re: More drama at HP
Message #16 Posted by Eddie W. Shore on 21 Sept 2011, 11:40 p.m.,
in response to message #15 by Howard Owen

Agree. However, it seems like the current CEO is a real "winner".

$35 million for failing - what a joke.

And NO to Meg Whitman either.

Edited: 21 Sept 2011, 11:40 p.m.

      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #17 Posted by DaveJ on 21 Sept 2011, 9:37 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

$35M for 11 month work, where do I sign up?

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/09/21/h-p-ceo-apotheker-could-walk-away-with-35-million/

Dave.

            
Re: More drama at HP
Message #18 Posted by bill platt on 22 Sept 2011, 8:00 a.m.,
in response to message #17 by DaveJ

That is salary and benefits for over 200 college educated employees...

                  
Re: More drama at HP
Message #19 Posted by Steve Simpkin on 22 Sept 2011, 12:22 p.m.,
in response to message #18 by bill platt

Quote:
That is salary and benefits for over 200 college educated employees...

That may seem like a lot but keep in mind that a bad CEO can do far, far more damage to HP than 200 bad employees. So if you look at it that way, he is totally worth it :P
      
Re: More drama at HP
Message #20 Posted by Egan Ford on 22 Sept 2011, 12:37 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

Meg probably rolled into the boardroom and amazed the board with the profits of HP calc's on eBay.

Forgot the :-)

Edited: 22 Sept 2011, 12:37 p.m.

      
Its Official: Meg Whitman is announced as the new CEO of HP
Message #21 Posted by Steve Simpkin on 22 Sept 2011, 4:29 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

And it is officially announced.
Meg Whitmand is announced as new CEO of HP

Edited: 22 Sept 2011, 4:32 p.m.

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