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HP to cut 25-30k jobs

bbc.com

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Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#71

Post by kazagistar »

jfoutz wrote: post #23
joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

Your dad needs to think about the next best 5 guys, and how to pick them up for cheap when the layoffs happen. At his age striking out on his own will seem absolutely terrifying. Work on him for a few months. He must have built up some serious contacts over the years. His pitch is straightforward. HP can't actually support their products anymore, they don't have the staff. He knows the hardware inside and out. Sell s…

There is probably a non compete exactly for this situation.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#72

Post by bkeroack »

test001only wrote: post #67
joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

I am sorry if this question comes of as naive. Is the medical cost so high that it can only be covered with an insurance? Would a small amount of savings set aside for this purpose be viable in case somebody loses their medical insurance? Also would you not be able to take your own medical insurance which is independent of the company you work for? I am just trying to understand how the medical system there works. I…

Medical expenses for major problems can very easily run into the millions of US dollars (open heart surgery, etc). I'm not joking.

The market for private insurance is somewhat better now with Obamacare (depending heavily upon the state you live in) but it still can be very expensive. Especially if you're unemployed.

If you have a family member in poor health, employer-sponsored health coverage can be worth an order of magnitude more than your cash salary. If not more.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#73

Post by cma »

gscott wrote: post #48
joshmn wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The amazing coverage they have is barely cutting it. He pays pennies on the dollar for the coverage they get. I can't imagine it would be like this at all on the exchange.

Years ago I did a website for a person who sold health insurance for businesses. It turns out that a business is defined as 2 people and can come in most any form. With business healthcare they accept anyone even if you have pre-existing conditions. It gets around trying to buy health insurance directly. Cost is pretty reasonable.

There are no pre-existing condition exclusions in private insurance through obamacare. That was the biggest change it brought and is the reason for the mandate (so you don't wait to get sick and then take advantage of the lack of exclusions).

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#74

Post by seunosewa »

stevewepay wrote: post #43

The sad part is that it's Carly Fiorina's fault for turning HP into the mess it was. And now she touts that as the reason why she should be president. It's a sick joke that she thinks gutting one of Silicon Valley's preeminent companies makes her worthy of being president. HP was the first company to pioneer Silicon Valley culture, ie. The HP Way. It was only after Fiorina's tenure that HP turned into a shadow of its…

What precisely did Carly Fiorina do weong, and what precisely should she have done instead?

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#75

Post by steveax »

sliken wrote: post #18

Heh, it used to be a joke that HP was basically an ink company. Seems to become more true every day.

Ha! Anyone remember PrintPaks [1]? A Portland OR company that HP invested in. The model was to churn out "Create a " kits that were all about using ink. Disclaimer: I worked at a PDX company (ImageBuilder Software) in the 90's that created a number of those kits for PrintPaks, although I never worked on a team that was doing those products.

[1]: http://www.abebooks.com/Home-Project-Kit-Includes-Disney-Int...

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#76

Post by cma »

Animats wrote: post #58
brudgers wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an HP11C calculator I bought in 1989 I still use. It cost almost $100 back then. The first HP printer I bought was a DeskJet 550c. Made a beautiful whooshing and humming noises. Kept it for more than 10 years. When they discovered a tendency for premature wear on the pickup rollers, HP sent me a maintenance kit: one day it just showed up with instructions. I had a zd7000 laptop in the early oughts. It was pret…

I have an HP11C too, and a LaserJet 5L printer. Both are over 15 years old, in regular use, and work fine. The printer has had two roller replacements, though. That's HP's problem. Great gear, got the job done, didn't have an addictive replacement revenue model like Apple. People ran HP minicomputers for decades because they Just Worked.

Ink?

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#77

Post by weavie »

kazagistar wrote: post #71
jfoutz wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your dad needs to think about the next best 5 guys, and how to pick them up for cheap when the layoffs happen. At his age striking out on his own will seem absolutely terrifying. Work on him for a few months. He must have built up some serious contacts over the years. His pitch is straightforward. HP can't actually support their products anymore, they don't have the staff. He knows the hardware inside and out. Sell s…

There is probably a non compete exactly for this situation.

Maybe, but if you get laid off all bets are off really. Maybe it is different in the US, but in the UK I've known of cases of people who have been laid off who then went on the form competing companies. There may have been some law suits flying around behind the scenes, but in the end these companies settled and were successful.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#78

Post by Animats »

cma wrote: post #76
Animats wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an HP11C too, and a LaserJet 5L printer. Both are over 15 years old, in regular use, and work fine. The printer has had two roller replacements, though. That's HP's problem. Great gear, got the job done, didn't have an addictive replacement revenue model like Apple. People ran HP minicomputers for decades because they Just Worked.

Ink?

Toner, which is cheaper than ink.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#79

Post by mruniverse »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #40
bickfordb wrote: post #9

It's sad that HP+Compaq turned into this zombie company

HP/Compaq had the trained staff to do what apple and google have done. But management has been busy busy cutting their way to profitability. Cutting staff to make next years numbers look good is opiate of the MBA.

The trained staff probably needed some direction to be an Apple or Google. Or at least motivation. They probably played second fiddle to the sales people.

Seemed like leadership was missing. Fiorina and Whitman never seemed interested in tech. They just liked being the boss of something big. Boss of California, boss of US.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#80

Post by elorant »

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

Posts like this remind me how shitty the business model of most Fortune 500 companies is. They lay off people just to increase profits regardless of productivity goals. For most management councils out there everything is about numbers. Perhaps we ought to do something as a community to stop such practices. Like boycott the shit out of companies that adopt them.
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