Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : HWP -- Hewlett Packard -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kirk © who wrote (2900)	2/24/1999 7:40:00 PM
From: BelowTheCrowd	Respond to of 4722

Kirk, I think it would take an awful lot to get him back from SGI. The rumor I heard wasn't so much about direction, it was about speed. He wanted HP to move faster. To change faster. To dump old stuff faster. To worry less about stability and more about managing ongoing change. He definitely lost that one, and I think he'd be reluctant to come back and fight it again. OTOH, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the big stockholders are losing patience with "slow and steady" as well. Unfortunately, I think it has a lot to do with layers below the CEO. The people that a former manager of mine called "the permafrost layer." The group that nothing manages to penetrate, whether pushed from above or below. IMO, early retirement for a lot of upper-level divisional managers is probably necessary in order for change to happen. That's a huge obstacle for HP. A new CEO would need to be willing both to champion unprecedented rapid change, and also to (essentially) fire some high-up people. Both would be severe breaches of HP tradition. Might take a complete outsider to clean house, but again there are very few people in a position to force that... mg