Fiorina's supporters

But ask Fiorina's supporters, and they insist HP badly needed a fresh boost of energy as it struggled to stay relevant during the boom of the information technology sector. Fiorina's critics, they say, fail to appreciate her bold vision for transforming HP into a 21st century company.

"Contrary to what has been written in terms of a lot of negative things, she did what she was hired to do and that was to lead a transformation," said Bob Knowling, who was on HP's board of directors during Fiorina's tenure. "Transformation is not easy work. It's hard work, and I think she did a stellar job."

Others say her critics are clinging to the past in a way that diminishes her real accomplishments.

"CEOs aren't there to have coffee in the cafeteria with employees and to yuk it up," said Bill Mutell, a former senior executive at HP. "It's easy for the gallery to criticize when in fact I'd be curious to see how they would have done things differently."