Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close • Hacker News Board

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#31

Post by cynicalkane » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:53 PM UTC

pessimist wrote: post #30

cynicalkane wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if you worked for BigCo, and one day your boss says to you, "You're fired... and we're also taking back your stock options and severance pay." Because that's what you're proposing doing to a CEO. Yeah, they're rich and proportionally more of their pay is comprised of non-salary items. Oh well. Yeah, you don't like what HP executive management did to the company. I agree, it sucks. But in the real world, peopl…

Well, if I get fired, my unvested stock options certainly dont suddenly vest. And I dont get any severance pay. So yes, I propose that CEO's get exactly that treatment.

I'd say it's time for you to negotiate yourself to another company. Severance pay, at least, should be standard.

(Edit: I'm taking the inference you're working for a big company. If you're working for a startup, we're talking about a whole 'nother world.)

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#32

Post by itships » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:54 PM UTC

Back when I was doing e-commerce, a large percentage of my revenue was on eBay from '05-'09. I didn't realize how stagnant the platform was until John Donahoe replaced Whitman and finally changes were made to increase safety for buyers and differentiate sellers in the marketplace. I don't think ebay would have lost so much 3rd-party seller market share to Amazon if Whitman had been proactive.

I don't know what the HP board is hoping for by hiring Whitman as CEO, but if it's anything other than "steady as she goes," then I think they are making a bad choice.

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#33

Post by r00fus » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:56 PM UTC

God help those poor souls still stuck at HP. The gubernatorial campaign exposed all sorts of character flaws and showed that Whitman has a complete lack of empathy for people who work for her.

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#34

Post by 9999 » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:56 PM UTC

I really hoped her disastrous run for governor of CA would be the last thing the public ever heard from her. Her hilariously stupid decisions during the acquisition of Skype made me think she would have very little future after eBay. It boggles my mind that the HP board would even briefly consider her... What HP really needs is a new board and a new CEO...

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#35

Post by abrowne » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:57 PM UTC

A-K wrote: post #27

So effectively Apotheker was brought in, trashed Palm, spun off the PC division, and now is getting the boot? The suggestion that HP replace the entirety of its upper management, Apple-circa-1996-style, is becoming more and more credible.

He wasn't even that successful. He only got to the point of "maybe we should spin off the PC division, or do something else with it" without actually announcing (or maybe even having!) a plan to do so.

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#36

Post by r00fus » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:57 PM UTC

Worst tech BoD ever: HP or Yahoo? I'm thinking this pushes HP over the line.

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#37

Post by maxharris » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:58 PM UTC

Does this mean they'll bring back the TouchPad? Is it even possible, given the people they just laid off from that team?

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#38

Post by Uhhrrr » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 5:59 PM UTC

untog wrote: post #8

Good grief. This reflects far worse on the board than anyone else- they hired the wrong guy, and then fired him when he did the things he said he would do.

Well - once they've gone down the wrong path, realizing it and making a correction should reflect better on them (although it still shows poor predictive skills IMHO).

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#39

Post by SurfScore » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 6:01 PM UTC

jm4 wrote: post #18

icefox wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really have to ponder why Whitman would take this job given the probability of being fired next year no matter what happens...

Are you a football fan? The CEO job at HP right now is pretty much like the head coach job with the Oakland Raiders. It's a completely dysfunctional organization. If you succeed you're the genius that was able to turn it around. If you don't then Al Davis takes the blame and you get a free pass. You get paid either way. And you have to remember there are only 32 head coaching jobs available so it's great work if you…

hahahaha you just compared the HP board of directors to Al Davis, that is just plain awesome

Re: Whitman Expected to Get HP CEO Nod After Markets Close

#40

Post by parfe » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 6:01 PM UTC

ScottBurson wrote: post #9

During Whitman's gubernatorial campaign there was a great quote on SFGate, something like: "Meg Whitman is the only force in the universe that could compel me to vote for Jerry Brown." I felt the same way, pretty much. I don't know much about her work at eBay, but the distant, autocratic way she ran her campaign -- she didn't get out and talk to people, she just stayed in her castle and put out ads -- strikes me as t…

Whitman spent $144 million of her own money campaigning.

She is the type of person that feels $144 million in TV Ads is enough to buy public support rather than $100 million in charity and non profit work to build an image. I don't imagine her leadership of HP to be any different.

I expect her attitude to be "We can buy customers" rather than "We can earn respect and attract customers."