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The HP Way 2.0

theodp writes "How do you replace your Chief Pretexting Officer? HP CEO Mark Hurd announced that Joel Hyatt, an individual of 'exceptional judgment and outstanding character,' has joined HP's Board of Directors, filling one of the seats vacated during last year's boardroom scandal. Hyatt, who drew the ire of a judge over the illegal, Philadelphia-like treatment of an attorney at Hyatt's namesake law firm who was diagnosed with AIDS, was also appointed to HP's HR and Compensation Committee. Presumably, the HP womenfolk won't hold it against Hyatt that he reportedly once advocated keeping alma mater Dartmouth female-free. Hyatt acknowledged making mistakes that he's learned from, but said he was not eager to share them."

82 comments

  1. He Might Have Made Mistakes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But joining HP was not one of them. He's marrying up!

  2. Stupid by realmolo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I love the fact that the only qualification you need to be on the Board of Directors at a billion-dollar company is to have once been on the Board of Directors at *another* billion dollar company. Doesn't matter if you wrecked that company, or got fired for incompetence, or were successfully prosecuted for some white-collar crime you committed while you were there.

    HP deserves whatever they get. Talk about a fall from grace. HP was, at one time, one of the most important and successful and innovative technology companies in the world. Now what do they do? Sell cheap PCs and expensive ink.

    1. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You don't realize that being on the Board of Directors is a hard and underpaid job. Pay as little as $499,000 USD annually isn't uncommon. That isn't very much money when you consider the kind of earnings these people bring into the company and the amount of shareholders these people have with which to deal in shareholder meetings. You are ignorant of how hard the job really is. Good management is hard to come by, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that good management from a failed company can find new jobs. And whitecollar crimes shouldn't be punished anyway.

    2. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HP deserves whatever they get. Talk about a fall from grace. HP was, at one time, one of the most important and successful and innovative technology companies in the world. Now what do they do? Sell cheap PCs and expensive ink.

      So where did this gem work before he came to HP? IBM maybe?

    3. Re:Stupid by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1

      Now what do they do? Sell cheap PCs and expensive ink.

      Sure, but second to a ThinkPad (which I can't afford), HP laptops are my preferred brand. So they're doing something right it would seem.

    4. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod this up - it's LOL500 material.

    5. Re:Stupid by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      Does HP make their own laptops? Or do they slap their brand on hardware produced elsewhere like almost all the other laptop vendors?

    6. Re:Stupid by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      You don't realize that being on the Board of Directors is a hard and underpaid job. Pay as little as $499,000 USD annually isn't uncommon. That isn't very much money when you consider the kind of earnings these people bring into the company and the amount of shareholders these people have with which to deal in shareholder meetings. You are ignorant of how hard the job really is. Good management is hard to come by, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that good management from a failed company can find new jobs. And whitecollar crimes shouldn't be punished anyway. On Slashdot this is +5 Funny, in the Wall Street Journal this is called Op-Ed.
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
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    7. Re:Stupid by mav[LAG] · · Score: 1

      Heh. Reminds me of Dave Barry's Enron Q & A in plain English.

      Q. Doesn't Enron have a board of directors whose members are responsible for overseeing the corporation?

      A. Yes. They are paid $300,000 a year.

      Q. So how could they have allowed this flagrant deception to go on?

      A. They are paid $300,000 a year.

      --
      --- Hot Shot City is particularly good.
    8. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes I agree with you. A Biolion dollars are spending for nothing. It is time to change it

      B.R
      OPEL

    9. Re:Stupid by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      I believe like Ross Perault, that no manager should earn more than 20 to 25 times the average salary of his organisation. If he needs more, let him purchase shares. I will allow that rule to be important, starting at the top VP level.

      I, as a manager have discovered that each manager of mine that has distinct reponsibilities from his peer, takes up 15 percent of my time. Thus, I find my week is full, managing seven distinct departments via their managers. And yes, I do work overtime too.

      However, it is much easier (to manage seven managers in seven companies or regions) when each has the same responsibility. Then I have 15% of time allocated for the first individual, and about 5% of time for each of the others.

      Should I earn the sum of salaries paid to the 7 subordinates?

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
  3. Does theodp only write flamebait? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Was does ODP stand for, anyway?

    1. Re:Does theodp only write flamebait? by flydpnkrtn · · Score: 1

      it might be his name... Theo D. P. :/

    2. Re:Does theodp only write flamebait? by PurPaBOO · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Only Double Penetration

      --
      If it weren't for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no songs.
    3. Re:Does theodp only write flamebait? by Fred+Ferrigno · · Score: 1

      Ol' Dirty Pastard

  4. No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Javit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Presumably, the HP womenfolk won't hold it against Hyatt that he reportedly once advocated keeping alma mater Dartmouth female-free

    Not really interested enough to read the rest of the article, but just wanted to say I don't see the problem with advocating same-sex schooling. My wife went to a women's college and I attended an all-boys high school, are there are definite advantages to it. In the high school case especially, I noticed that having the girls gone resulted in a hugely improved social atmosphere compared to middle school, with everybody pretty much getting along. At the public high school in the same town, however, kids were still vicious little bastards to each other.

    --
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    1. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0
      Mod parent up insightful!

      Why the double standard -- all-female schools are ok while all-male schools aren't? And some studies have shown that children of both genders do better in single-sex schools.

      -b.

    2. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So your saying that your educational atmosphere was FAAAABULESSSSSS!

      Hehe my security word is backyard.

    3. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by AuMatar · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Some studies showed that separate but equal was a good idea too. Studies tend to show whatever the guy who pays for it wants it to show.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
    4. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd be more concerned with how the children do after same-sex schooling. Ideally, one of the things that happens when you're a young adult is that you learn how to get along with the opposite sex in social, academic, and business settings. I don't see how segregating people by sex makes any more sense than segregating them by skin color.

      Instead, how about dealing with the relatively-few kids who make an integrated environment a problem for everybody else?

    5. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Some studies showed that separate but equal was a good idea too. Studies tend to show whatever the guy who pays for it wants it to show.

      If you think that single-sex education is immoral, then ban it entirely. We seem to have a double standard where all-female education is somehow OK while all-male education is not (at least socially) acceptable.

      -b.

    6. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by necro81 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I won't deny that same-sex educational environments can be advantageous and help students focus on their work - avoiding a lot of adolescent nonsense. In the case of Dartmouth co-education, however, the arguments were rarely pedagogical. The arguments, particularly from disgruntled alumni, were more along the lines of "this is our treehouse, girls have cooties."

    7. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      Or maybe the rich/poor separation was what made the difference.

    8. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by norton_I · · Score: 1

      I would say that my mixed-sex high school and college had a much better social atmosphere than my mixes-sex junior high. I am not sure there isn't a case to be made for same sex schooling in some cases, but I strongly doubt that overall it is a good idea at the college level at least. If people can't learn to focus on their work when it is important and there are girls (or boys) around, they are going to be useless in the outside world.

      Also, the argument for allowing women-only schools and not men only schools is based on some legitimate concerns (though I still think it is a bad idea). One is that males tend to be more agressive, and can monopolize the time and resources of the instructors, or indirectly intimidate women into not engaging the class. To the extent this is true, it is probably an issue best addressed by the instructors, not a segregation policy. Another is that historically, many mens schools were considered more presitgious, and students from those would be preferentially hired, or admitted to college, which has been an additional motivator to desegregate those schools. In the final analysis, a lot of women wanted and worked for the opportunity to go to schools that had been male only, while the reverse is not true, so women's schools have desgregated slower.

    9. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by wellingj · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's because todays society think there is something inherently evil with being a male....

    10. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Javit · · Score: 1

      You're arguing that rich kids are better behaved than poor kids?

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    11. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because so many males these days are immature little twits.
      I mean really, I know several girls who have broken up with a guy, and the guy stalked them and would not leave them alone and went basically insane. I mean get some self respect, a pair of gonads, and grow up guys! Not to mention the idea of personal responsibility in America has all but disappeared. This means people can act like childish assholes well into their twenties and people will not just put up with it but accept it. It's disturbing. I blame the divorce rate personally, which in turn I blame on two working parents, which in turn I blame on women's rights (not saying their bad, it's just a very unwanted side effect of them) and the idea of instant gratification eating away at family income. Believe it or not, people didn't used by buy really expensive cell phones, ipods, tvs, cars, or whatever if they didn't have the money. Credit cards are ruining America. I think the increased cost in buying things will really help if FairTax goes anywhere, but then again their might be side effects yet to be seen of that too. Ok, done ranting.

    12. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I sure thank my lucky stars, if Darmouth hadn't gone gone co-ed I might not have learned that there was more to life than anal sex.

    13. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2, Insightful
      That's because so many males these days are immature little twits.

      Replace "males" with "people" and you may be on to something. No one race/gender/creed/etc hs a monopoly on stupidity.

      -b.

    14. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Oh, and it's different about the all-female campuses that "womyn" try to keep that way? The whole thing is completely irrational.
      For that reason I also don't quite believe the studies about advantages of segregated education. I'm certainly glad we had coeducation when I was in school. People need to work together anyway later in life, unless we want a segregated society.

    15. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Scudsucker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well if you want to argue by anecdote, I haven't heard of very many men killing pregnant women and then tearing the babies out of the women's stomachs to raise as their own.

    16. Re:No Problem with Dartmouth Bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True, but women are just insane in general. I know, I'm married :)

  5. This guy may be a sleazeball... by niceone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...but if all the dirt the summary writer can find on him is a firing 20 years ago and something he wrote while he was at Dartmouth (30 years ago??), I'm inclined to think he must be a saint.

    (disclaimer: I used to work at HP, a looong time ago)

    1. Re:This guy may be a sleazeball... by Acer500 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Indeed. I read the linked "ire of a judge" article, and Mr Hyatt's case does come across as heartless, but not something he can't have learned from.

      Summarizing TFA:

      - the fired person, Clarence Cain, was the head of the Philadelphia office, until he contracted AIDS. He was a gay African-American, so he was in the danger population for the disease. Mr Hyatt pointed out that he actually hired a gay in the first place, so I don't understand why it's discriminatory to fire him.

      I do understand it's callous and insensitive to fire someone who has a terminal illness without trying to offer help or a compromise. I don't know what's the standard procedure in those cases, but it's clear that Mr Cain was unfit to continue working (not because of AIDS per se, but because of the physical condition he was in from all the associated diseases - the article describes him during the trial:

      "the 38-year-old Mr. Cain, draped in an old suit several sizes too large, testified. His voice was weak, his gait halting, his features emaciated"
      TFA also mentions Mr Hyatt and Mr Cain didn't get along too well before his illness:

      Even before he became ill, Mr. Cain fought with his superiors. Once he uttered obscenities about Mr. Hyatt at a firm dinner. But he lost his post only after the AIDS diagnosis in July 1987.
      Something that surprises me, but I guess it shouldn't considering the nature of US healthcare, was the sharp decline in his living conditions following his illness. Either he had nothing saved up or he spent everything on healthcare, but I wouldn't blame that on Mr Hyatt as the article does (I do think they should have offered help, but it's not his responsibility).

      The callous bit is this Mr. Cain was offered an entry-level position at half the pay or a $12,000 severance package (Is severance not regulated as it is in my home country, where it is a percentage of earnings up to the point?).

      I'm not happy at all with HP lately (I work with a local HP partner) but this guy doesn't came across as particularly worse than usual. It does turn on some warning lights (this kind of person has the makings of a sociopath).
      --
      There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
    2. Re:This guy may be a sleazeball... by donscarletti · · Score: 1

      I agree.

      I had a year one (second year of schooling) teacher who had AIDS (this was back in 1990 before effective antiretrovirals) and he was just a mess, he was too sick to even turn up most of the time and when he was there it was clear that he wasn't in the emotional state to be a good teacher, he was short tempered and angry and would shout at students very often for minor things. He also increasingly had us sing songs and play games all day for weeks at a time presumably he wasn't well enough for proper lessons. It was downright irresponsible for the school not to force him into permanent sick leave as it set the education of most of the students back a year and many students had to repeat a year.

      If that HP employee was anything similar it would have been unfair to his subordinates to leave him in his position. An employee needs a boss that can do their job and he is sick there needs to be a new one. Just imagine if one of your co-workers had a bad flu every day for the rest of their life, because AIDS is like a hundred times worse.

      It's anecdotal evidence I know, but if you've ever seen a late stage aids patient, especially back when the firing actually happened you'll know what I'm talking about.

      --
      When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
    3. Re:This guy may be a sleazeball... by enronman · · Score: 1

      Is severance not regulated as it is in my home country, where it is a percentage of earnings up to the point? Severance is not regulated in the U.S., in fact there is no legal requirement to offer ANY severance. That being said many companies will offer it and use a formula, however they only do it because they chose to or they entered into a contract with the worker/s that requires it.

  6. One question by eclectro · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean that HP will start filling their ink-jet cartridges all the way now??

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    1. Re:One question by ReidMaynard · · Score: 1

      Dear Eclectro

      I just bought your company.

      You're fired.

      Sincerely,

      Joel Hyatt

      --
      -- www.globaltics.net

      Political discussion for a new world

    2. Re:One question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but they'll make the cartridges smaller.

  7. So is Slashdot going to critique by Timesprout · · Score: 2, Interesting

    all corporate appointments now or was this just a bit of character assassination too tempting to pass up?

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
    1. Re:So is Slashdot going to critique by mpapet · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think there's enough /.'ers who have been around long enough to remember when buying HP meant _great_ quality and service at not-that-high-prices.

      Fiorina was pretty much the tipping point. Hurd's infamous "I didn't explicitely approve illegal actions, so I'm not liable or responsible" pretty much tells you what kind of scumbags he's likely to hire. It makes me feel sympathetic for the old-guard BOD's.

      It also gives you an idea what passes for leadership in this country.

      --
      http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
  8. Dartmouth Co-education by necro81 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It is true that there are some curmudgeons out there - mostly associated with Good Ol' Boy networks of the ultra-rich, entitled, privilaged, and (largely) conservative elite - who wish that Dartmouth had remained an all-male institution. As a recent alum, however, I will state emphatically that they are a tiny minority of alumni and current students.

    Dartmouth has been co-ed for about 35 years now. Lots of Dartmouth students ca. 1970 griped about co-education. They were in the minority even then; vocal, but a minority. In the intervening years, particularly as their own daughters reached college age, most of those have come to realize that it wasn't the end of the world - it made the College a better place.

    1. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Dartmouth has been co-ed for about 35 years now. Lots of Dartmouth students ca. 1970 griped about co-education. They were in the minority even then; vocal, but a minority

      I'm not arguing that it made Dartmouth a better place or not. But, I still don't think it should be held against him, especially since all-female schools are pretty common, so why can't there be all-male schools? Should we lambast a female CEO that went to Smith, Holyoke, or Bryn Mawr if she expressed the opinion that her alma-mater would be better off not going co-ed? I'm not against co-education, but private universities should have a choice as to whom to admit.

      -b.

    2. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by Alex+Zepeda · · Score: 1

      Why? That's easy. Men will succeed in co-ed and all male institutions quite easily. Women often underperform in co-ed enviornments. Read up on stereotype threat.

      --
      The revolution will be mocked
    3. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Men will succeed in co-ed and all male institutions quite easily. Women often underperform in co-ed enviornments.

      Regardless, if women have the choice, so should men. I'm not talking about taking away women's right to single-sex education -- I'm saying that in order to have "equality", both genders should have that right.

      Besides, the premise is that men and women are intellectually equal. Are you saying that women can't compete on a level playing field now?

      -b.

    4. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by phorest · · Score: 1

      It is true that there are some curmudgeons out there - mostly associated with Good Ol' Boy networks of the ultra-rich, entitled, privilaged, and (largely) conservative elite.

      Surely, Hyatt is not one of the conservatives you talk about. After all, being a well connected democrat helps to make a lot of money. Having money -or- being well-connected does not mean that person is conservative. His father in-law was/is none other than Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio).

      I know you qualified your statement with 'largely', but his fortune came after they changed the laws about attorneys being able to advertise on TV. Everybody knows that finding a conservative lawyer is like finding a four-leaf clover. (you have to look really, really hard)

      --
      God: When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
    5. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, I still don't think it should be held against him, especially since all-female schools are pretty common, so why can't there be all-male schools?

      If we were talking about race or religion or just about anything except sex, a lot of people would see the problem with that. Why is exactly one kind of segregation protected? If he said he thought Dartmouth would be better off with only white heterosexual non-Jews, would you be OK with that, too?

      Should we lambast a female CEO that went to Smith, Holyoke, or Bryn Mawr if she expressed the opinion that her alma-mater would be better off not going co-ed?

      I would, but then, I went to the "institution where any person can find instruction in any study".

      I'm not against co-education, but private universities should have a choice as to whom to admit.

      Yes, of course, and we should have the right to make fun of them if they do something we think is dumb.

    6. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by gordgekko · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Well said. Women seem to be equal to men...except when they're not.

      --
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    7. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

      Women often underperform in co-ed enviornments.

      Bullshit. Women are enrolling and graduating at rates far higher then men. It's not uncommon to find a 60/40 split in enrollment.

    8. Re:Dartmouth Co-education by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

      Well said. Women seem to be equal to men...except when they're not.

      Of course, because feminism isn't really about equality, it's about making things better for women. Compare the number of women demanding the right to vote at the start of the 20th Century, and the number of women demanding "equality" in the 60's and 70's, to the number of women who insisted that the draft apply to both sexes.

  9. HP is a mess by KidSock · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why does a printer driver require 435 MB of disk space (no really, you cannot install it otherwise) and take 30 minutes and a reboot to install?

    This is one of those situations where a lot of higher-ups need to get the axe but of course they're not going to fire themselves. Same goes for Yahoo! with their over-AJAX-ified website overhaul.

    1. Re:HP is a mess by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1
      Why does a printer driver require 435 MB of disk space (no really, you cannot install it otherwise) and take 30 minutes and a reboot to install? Usually, you can just install the drivers from disk. The problem is when you want nifty functionality like network scanning on multifunction machines. Then you have to install the whole package or nothing. Far better would be to have a web app embedded in the multifunction machines -- you should be able to just point a browser to the printer's IP or name and download scanned images as .jpg or .pdf.

      -b.

    2. Re:HP is a mess by dattaway · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why does a printer driver require 435 MB of disk space (no really, you cannot install it otherwise) and take 30 minutes and a reboot to install?

      You don't understand. That 435 MB is to prevent reverse engineering. It would take 895 man years to reverse engineer a driver this size. The 30 minutes to reboot and install is to make you think twice about changing brands of printers ever again. We need you to help protect our profits.

      Thank you for your support.
      The mgmt.

    3. Re:HP is a mess by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      There is some truth to this.

      I used to work on a large software project at HP. It was written in Java.

      I remember one meeting where there was a debate about if we should obfuscate the code or not to make it harder to decompile and reverse-engineer. We reasoned that since we can't even figure our own code out half the time when it came time to fix defects, there was little risk in leaving it "un-obfuscated". If our competitors got ahold of it, we'd just laugh and say "good luck, suckers"!

    4. Re:HP is a mess by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      Some printers do have web apps embedded in them.

      Hilarity ensues when said printers have a public IP address and no password.

    5. Re:HP is a mess by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1
      Some printers do have web apps embedded in them. Hilarity ensues when said printers have a public IP address and no password.

      Yep, the more expensive ones. Still, if they can embed a web app in a $20 router, no reason why they can't put one in a $250-300 middle-range office printer for scanning. Especially if the printer ALREADY has a web page for configuration. As far as security -- make the thing disabled by default until a password is set.

      -b.

    6. Re:HP is a mess by MindDelay · · Score: 0

      you should do some research before you talk such nonsense. go get the drivers releases that top out at about 15mb, which obviously is more than just drivers that include installer software, network stuff, etc. that 435mb you're talking about includes a lot of other software that isn't necessary. and yes, you can install just the drivers if you want to.

      --
      Spiral out. Keep going...
    7. Re:HP is a mess by KidSock · · Score: 1

      ... that 435mb you're talking about includes a lot of other software that isn't necessary. and yes, you can install just the drivers if you want to

      I don't have to do research, I just installed HP drivers for an all-in-one a few hours ago and there was NO such option. There were two radio buttons. One said "full" or something like that and was 750MB of disk space required. The other option was 450MB. I saw no way to NOT install the imaging crud.

    8. Re:HP is a mess by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      Did you try just plugging the printer in and letting 'doze ask you where the drivers for it were when it found it by PNP means?

    9. Re:HP is a mess by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      Did you try just plugging the printer in and letting 'doze ask you where the drivers for it were when it found it by PNP means?

      Doing that with some types of USB devices under Windows has been known to wedge things badly enough that you'll never get it working without a wipe-and-reinstall. There's a reason why many gadgets have a "make sure you install the driver first" sticker on them. In my own experience, I had a flash reader screw up a Win2K install a few years ago because I dared to plug in the reader first.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  10. Board directors HAVE TO BE sleazeballs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This isn't so much an indictment of them as of the way the corporate system works.

    If you aren't a sleazeball then you simply don't make it to the Board, because entire legions of sleazeballs get there long before you can through sleazing their way up the ladder or through the business grapevine.

    And it's not even a level playing field with the sleazeballs on the inside track, because not only do they have the souped up engines but they also have rear-mounted machine guns to make sure you lose. (Yeah, I love mixing my metaphors.) In other words, you're actively put down by them.

    And that's why pretty much all upwardly mobile managers end up being sleazeballs too. It's built into the system.

    The same applies in politics, which is why the President is always the greatest sleazeball of them all, regardless of which party is in power.

  11. Career tips by haraldm · · Score: 2, Funny

    I love the fact that the only qualification you need to be on the Board of Directors at a billion-dollar company is to have once been on the Board of Directors at *another* billion dollar company.

    That interests me for my career. How do I get in the Board of Directors at *another* billion dollar company?

    --
    open (SIG, "</dev/zero"); $sig = <SIG>; close SIG;
    1. Re:Career tips by OrangeSpyderMan · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately for you, the answer's kinda in the question :)) Unless you're after the first one, in which case, nepotism or truck loads of money are the only solutions :)

      --
      Try NetBSD... safe,straightforward,useful.
    2. Re:Career tips by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 1

      That interests me for my career. How do I get in the Board of Directors at *another* billion dollar company? Fake it on your resume.
      Be sure to pick a company that has already gone under so no one will answer the phone in case anyone calls them to verify your past employment.
      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  12. I don't like business at HP by solar_blitz · · Score: 2, Informative

    I had a good friend once who was a huge executive at HP. She was an Australian woman whose work in areas like Hong Kong and Japan earned the company millions. When she was transferred to the main headquarters she lived across the street from us. She was (and still is) an awesome individual who I have enormous respect and admiration for.

    When the HP/Compaq merger was approved, her days became numbered. They didn't even give her a pink slip directly, they transferred her over to an office in the Southwest - Tennessee or Georgia, I don't remember - and then fired her. It reminds me of the scene in The Godfather Part II when Michael kills his brother and throws him into Lake Tahoe. Afterwards they couldn't afford living in the United States - her husband had already retired - and they had to move back to Australia. She knew it was going to happen, too, it was just one big waiting game.

    And since then, I've never really thought too highly of "The HP Way". The most recent issues with HP, in my own humble opinion, are no surprise to me. I think HP has become much more of an "evil empire" than either Google or Microsoft.

    1. Re:I don't like business at HP by j-pimp · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Afterwards they couldn't afford living in the United States - her husband had already retired - and they had to move back to Australia. She knew it was going to happen, too, it was just one big waiting game. Just out of curiosity, is it that much cheaper to live in Australia or was she just able to find a better job in her home country? I would think if your resume said "big executive" and "in charge of a business unit spanning multiple countries," one could make a living wage in whatever developed country one wished. I would be wrong though.
      --
      --- Justin Dearing http://www.justaprogrammer.net/ We're just programmers.
    2. Re:I don't like business at HP by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Just out of curiosity, is it that much cheaper to live in Australia or was she just able to find a better job in her home country?

      I think it depends on where in the States you want to live. I get conflicting reports from people who move there, and from Americans I know living in Australia. But if you want to rebuild your career it is much easier to do that in an environment which you understand well, and where you have a support network.

      Living overseas cuts you off from family who might help you out with things, and contacts you made when young. I think it makes sense to go back home when something like this happens.

    3. Re:I don't like business at HP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're not in Sydney, it's much cheaper than California or New York.

    4. Re:I don't like business at HP by solar_blitz · · Score: 1

      In terms of costs, I think the place they were living in before - the state of Victoria - was a lot cheaper and had different perks. Excellent public transit system, unbelievably clean water (you could wash your hair with a bar of soap!), among other things I remember when I traveled there. But there were other concerns: high gas prices, for instance. She was living in the Bay Area, and that was really nice.

      I do not think she was able to find too many jobs after that, though. I think it had to do with her age: she was into her early fifties by the time she got the axe.

    5. Re:I don't like business at HP by sgtsqh2o · · Score: 1

      Same here. I once thought highly of HP until I realized how far their sales execs would prostitute themselves for an account. My former employer once had a big integration project and HP was one of the bidders. HP had no knowledge of what they were selling. In fact, they just managed to get their reseller agreement with a no name technology vendor just before submitting their bid. Despite their obvious lack of skill, HP managed to get the contract. It doesn't take a genius to figure out something fraudulent happened. I probably wouldn't bitch about this if HP succeeded. However, the project was a failure costing the company substantial loss in revenue from service outages and productivity loss. (Strangely enough, no one got the axe. I wonder if the company keeps a separate payroll for their "other" employees.) For a company whose founders embody integrity and fortitude, it's tragic that HP turned out the way it did. Since then, I learned to respect incompetence over outright corruption. HP makes great stuff though. But I wish they'd stick to their UXs, Itaniums, Superdomes, Storage, Printers and OEMs and drop feigning competency in other people's products.

  13. I HATE "2.0" by normuser · · Score: 0, Troll

    The HP Way 2.0

    Plese dont *EVER* say "someshit 2.0" that ranks right up there with "for security purposes", "for your own safety" and "think of the children" on my writer is lying guege.
    Thank you.
    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    XXX#######
    1. Re:I HATE "2.0" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're not lying, they're using Windows 2.0 as a comparison

  14. Philadelphia like treatmeant? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Posting AC so I don't further embarrass myself

    What does this mean? Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia says its the city of brotherly love. Other than being ranked 6th most dangerous city, I really don't understand the phrase from the post.

    Confused

    1. Re:Philadelphia like treatmeant? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2, Informative
      kipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia says its the city of brotherly love. Other than being ranked 6th most dangerous city, I really don't understand the phrase from the post.

      There was a film called Philadelphia about a successful attorney who was fired from his law firm when he was dying of AIDS in the 80s.

    2. Re:Philadelphia like treatmeant? by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      kipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia [wikipedia.org] says its the city of brotherly love. Other than being ranked 6th most dangerous city, I really don't understand the phrase from the post.
      There was a film called Philadelphia about a successful attorney who was fired from his law firm when he was dying of AIDS in the 80s. I think "brotherly love" was also what got him into trouble in the first place.
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  15. There is no HP Way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The HP Way is dead.... well at HP it is at least. It died along with Bill and Dave, and Carly made sure any remainants were killed off. If Bill and Dave could see what HP is doing these days I'm sure they would be heart broken. Although I must admit I think Hurd might do more positive things in this area than Carly did.

    The real HP way went to Agilent.

    However, HP are weeks away from screwing me any my family over to make way for one of the bosses mates at twice the pay I get, HP can go to hell for all I care. 20 years of commitment for what? Give me a spot on the board of directors please so I can get big $$$ and not haev to work hard.

    1. Re:There is no HP Way by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      The real HP way went to Agilent.

      I wish. Where's my shiny new Agilent RPN calculator?

  16. Better warranties! by ghostbar38 · · Score: 0

    What about HP Way 2.0 to get better warranties? If I format all my hard drive then I will lose my warranty?! Come on!! :/ I need to live with Windows during a year :/

    --
    ghostbar page.
  17. so what if he's for a same sex school? by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

    There are women-only universities, health clubs, vacations, domestic violence shelters, and hotels. Why is female-exclusive ok, but male-exclusive bad? Did anyone else notice the hypocrisy of Martha Burke, head of the Council of *Womens* Organizations, demanding that the Augusta golf club open its membership to women?

  18. 2.0 by sulli · · Score: 1

    Gawd, what the fuck else will be 2.0 before this stupid meme is finally assigned to the scrap heap of history? I am so sick of it.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.