Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO • Hacker News Board

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#51

Post by burgerbrain » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:04 PM UTC

pedalpete wrote: post #27

tybris wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the board in older companies usually consists of people with MBAs from expensive schools who just don't get technology (hint: it's not about cutting costs, it's about building technology).

I think that is a gross generalization, and I think in large corporations like the ones we are referring to, their is room for MBAs. Better there then in start-ups ;) There is no rule that an MBA can't 'get' technology. It isn't about building technology either, it's about proving something people need and want, and getting them to pay for it. Technology is only a component of that.

There may not be any codified rule, but it does seem to be the rule.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#52

Post by jfb » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:04 PM UTC

arach wrote: post #30

I think the notion that a company such as HP could be led by someone who is not irrefutably passionate about technology is flawed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meg_Whitman Nothing about her bio suggests any sincere interest in technology. I think this line is interesting "She believed the site to be confusing and began by building a new executive team.", and indicative of how she could bring a new level of suck to HP…

The idea that HP is a technology company is sadly out of date.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#53

Post by drzaiusapelord » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:07 PM UTC

weinerk wrote: post #47

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The site is such a 90s throwback. I love getting emails to pay my ebay bill with instructions like "visit the site, login here, click there, then click here, and finally click here." Err, is generating a URL straight to payment such a problem?

Probably they are trying to prevent phishing/scamming.

OKay, lets assume it is. Why can't I be presented with my balance after logging in? Why do I need to navigate through three menus just to pay them.

Maybe they've fixed it. I havent used ebay in a long time. It became scam central a few years ago and theres no "dont take bids from people with less than 10 feedback" option. Half my shit was bought by someone with zero history who never bothered to contact me.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#54

Post by jfb » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:09 PM UTC

When the wheels come off a cart as big as HP, it's pretty awe-inspiring. I wonder who's next? Certainly Dell isn't going to get anywhere becoming a "services" company. Too, how many "services" companies does the world really need?

Rhetorical question, I suppose.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#55

Post by kinofcain » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:13 PM UTC

0x12 wrote: post #50

zmj wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Craigslist.

They do auctions? Thank you, I never realized that. Hey downvoter, thank you for showing your ignorance. In case you had not read the craigslist faq let me help you out here: "No - craigslist is not an auction site." So me not realizing that wasn't all that strange, it seems they really aren't.

Auctions are just one way of arriving at a price for a used good, haggling is another. The question isn't "Where can I auction this old stuff" it's "Where can I sell this old stuff".

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#56

Post by 0x12 » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:16 PM UTC

kinofcain wrote: post #55

0x12 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do auctions? Thank you, I never realized that. Hey downvoter, thank you for showing your ignorance. In case you had not read the craigslist faq let me help you out here: "No - craigslist is not an auction site." So me not realizing that wasn't all that strange, it seems they really aren't.

Auctions are just one way of arriving at a price for a used good, haggling is another. The question isn't "Where can I auction this old stuff" it's "Where can I sell this old stuff".

An auction is a totally different thing than offering something 'for sale', auction sites typically allow people to make bids and enter in to a contract which requires them to take delivery. If craigslist is the equivalent of ebay to you then that's find with me but I think that craigslist and ebay are substantially different beasts.

Also, plenty of the stuff sold there is not old.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#57

Post by slantyyz » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:26 PM UTC

blackguardx wrote: post #18

plinkplonk wrote: post #14

I am just a dumb developer, so I am probably not quite getting the subtle management logic at play here, but what's with random incompetents being appointed CEOs and paid millions of dollars to make things worse or at least not much better? (Bartz at yahoo, Apotheker at HP)It seems like a systemic inefficiency to me. (btw this is a genuine question, not snark. I'd appreciate anyone versed in how boards etc work enlig…

I was with you until you mentioned Bartz as an example. She was actually really good as the head of Autodesk. Yahoo has languished, but at least she didn't make any company killing decisions like Fiorina or Apotheker.

I wonder how hamstrung Bartz was by the board of Yahoo, and perhaps the culture of Yahoo itself.

I don't have any knowledge of Bartz's experience at Yahoo, but I can definitely say that it's very hard to make systemic changes when you're not given the tools to do so.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#58

Post by dereg » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:35 PM UTC

roc wrote: post #13

jfruh wrote: post #9

"While Mr. Apotheker is going, his strategy, including consideration of spinning off H.P.’s personal computer business from other parts of the company, will remain in place." ha ha ha WHAT "OK, let's hire this enterprise software guy, then get mad when he restructures the company around enterprise software, then fire him but make his successor implement the plan the enterprise software guy put together! Can't fail!"

The board wouldn't have hired Apotheker in the first place if they didn't approve of the direction he was going to take HP. I would guess that his firing, is due more to the way he went about it [1] and his overpaying for Autonomy. [1] That is: going public with the general plan too far in advance of having the details ironed out. Which arguably did real damage to the hardware division's sales and the process of tryi…

Do you seriously think that the Autonomy purchase was made autonomously from board approval? (no pun intended)

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#59

Post by brianbreslin » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:35 PM UTC

slantyyz wrote: post #57

blackguardx wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was with you until you mentioned Bartz as an example. She was actually really good as the head of Autodesk. Yahoo has languished, but at least she didn't make any company killing decisions like Fiorina or Apotheker.

I wonder how hamstrung Bartz was by the board of Yahoo, and perhaps the culture of Yahoo itself. I don't have any knowledge of Bartz's experience at Yahoo, but I can definitely say that it's very hard to make systemic changes when you're not given the tools to do so.

All the reports seem to indicate it was a culture thing that caused tons of infighting and excess bloat in the ranks. People would have 6 different bosses on a project or no one knew who was responsible for anything. This is what I've gathered from all the blogs.

Re: Meg Whitman to be named new HP CEO

#60

Post by CC440 » Thu, Sep 22, 2011, 9:42 PM UTC

0x12 wrote: post #50

zmj wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Craigslist.

They do auctions? Thank you, I never realized that. Hey downvoter, thank you for showing your ignorance. In case you had not read the craigslist faq let me help you out here: "No - craigslist is not an auction site." So me not realizing that wasn't all that strange, it seems they really aren't.

Ebay hasn't been an auction site really ever. Today the vast majority of listings have turned it into a ghetto version of Amazon where you can get tons of awful Chinese junk with "Buy it Now" as your only option. For the few people that actually do forgo the direct pricing option, the vast majority set the reserve at the price they'd list it on Craigslist for (basically fair market value) and hope to get extra money for no reason.

The auction format only really existed for vehicle sales in my experience. Even there dealers have killed the functionality by butting out all the private sellers. I wish there was some online option that only allowed private sellers, even Craigslist is succumbing to the same disease.