Mark Hurd crunches the numbers

Isnt this one of the guys who drove Compaq into the ground ?

This guy is the Layoff King ! tear down what others have built up.. typical American management.

I think it is a shame that our government allows major corporations to merge, making a few “in charge” people very rich with buyout clauses and golden parachutes, while 24000 people lose their jobs, crushing their spirits and finding themselves without any healthcare. Not to mention with out a job or the career they may have dedicated their life too. The already unemployed and the newly unemployed, along with the many that are being enrolled into the poor house with major industry collapse is a un furling of our nations financial system. Maybe in an election year our candidates should be supply real plans on addressing corporate corruption, greed and mis-management instead of how cute a VP candidate is, or what race, religion, age, and sex they are. It would be nice to know that at some point our government would severely punish a corporation for making 24000 people unemployed and shipping thousands of jobs overseas, rather than allowing them to walk away with a windfall buyout, and a resume item for their next corporate victim.

Yeah…once every couple of years, it does it. It’s not like he had a choice. These are not needed employees since the profit margin is smawer.

i began my career with HP and during the later years served in leadership capacities with IBM SWG. Having had a taste of both the legends of information technology both have a distinct verve of being pioneers and market makers.

Critically the 90’s decade became a defining moment in the distinguished history of the titans.

IBM hit the funk first and it took a leader par excellence like Louis V Gerstner to swing the pendulum in favor of big blue decisively. He reading of the future was spot on and he shepherded the company into strategic markets and importantly growing markets. Many were market making initiatives such as calling the SWG cash cow and buying the consulting powerhouse ( which HP attempted and failed) and betting early on services and exiting low value commodity and unprofitable PC biz. Now they have as decade plus lead which is a tough act to follow.

On the contrary HP did have a change agent in Carly Fiorina who bet on big Compaq take over and other slew of changes. Which Lou Gerstner managed the element of culture Carly had her detractors which disabled her tryst with change in HP. In many way HP is coming through from a second funk which it could have avoided.

Under Mark Hurd able leadership HP is running a catch up game. A decade of strategic advantage which IBM enjoys. Nonetheless it is a catch up game unless and until IBM remains stagnant and HP does some game changers the gap shall remain huge.

Carly Fiorina destroyed HPQ. Hurd is just trying to make HPQ competitive again. Fiorina probably left HPQ much too bloated.

As an outside observer, 25 plus year computer industry veteran, former industry analyst and current silicon valley executive I am very impressed with Mark Hurd’s leadership of HP. We live in a time of major transition. That takes strong and courageous leadership and often results in significant and painful adaptation to a new reality.

Sam Palmisano is leading IBM confidently and effectively through this era. Mark Hurd is likewise doing the same to transform HP and it needs to be done. He may not be being aggressive enough.

Be worried about Dell. Their entire business value proposition is being eroded.

Sun is adrift, rudderless and its leadership cannot communicate its value, business strategy or relevance effectively to its customers or investors.

Both HP and IBM have a vision and a future. Change is sometimes painful but necessary. Only the fit survive.

I wonder how this will affect EDS and their state and federal government offices. Many states contract with EDS as their Medicaid fiscal agent. It could be disastrous for many states health care management if suddenly EDS starts losing employees due to “cost cutting”.

Give me a break, Corvallis John 12:52. How well did Carly bind your loyalty to the Company?? She destroyed the HP culture long before she got booted. Check the stock’s performance during her tenure vs. that of Mark’s.

As a former HP employee, I was sad to see Carly & Co. throw away HP’s broad portfolio of products (test & measurement etc.), and focus on industry standard hardware and printers. Under Carly, HP lost much of its uniqueness.

I’m really glad to see that under Mark Hurd, HP has again expanded out of the these commonplace markets, and embraced the higher growth - and more innovative - software and services markets. Building on these will grow the company in a way that I think Bill (Hewlett) and Dave (Packard) would have appreciated.

HP has been trying to take on Big blue for the last 40 years!! This guy, by his own admission, can’t grow the business so he decides a job slashing program will “help his margins”. This guy is exactly what is wrong in corporate America today–cut the jobs, screw the workers, and walk away rich!!! Big Blue will clean their/his clock and he won’t even know he’s been taken out to the shed for his whippin!

As a long time HP employee (going on 14 years) I can tell you that Mark Hurd as very effectively destroyed any loyalty that HP employees once held for this company. He is a numbers person and has little care for the human cost of his actions. I honestly wonder if he has a soul.

As an American tax payer and IT worker…why in ANY way should I condone this? Is it to be via government support of eased immigration/foreign worker levels and yet more expanded tax deductions for well lobbied interests like HP ? Legislators… en garde, CHOOSE your constituents and stick by them. Your choice, Fats Cats or regular people.