HP has some seasoned enterprise executives that could be CEO.
Better choices would include HP enterprise chief Dave Donatelli and PC head Todd Bradley, two names that had also made the rounds in Silicon Valley for the top job after Mark Hurd's ouster in August 2010, he added.
But, it is too late now, and HP's Board has made their decision. And, wow they actually listened to the employees and shareholders.
In late August, some board members began looking into how employees, investors and others viewed the CEO, one of the people said. They learned that the CEO failed to rally his troops well and staffers believed "he was not clear on the strategy, not articulating clearly what the direction was,'' this person said.Board members also learned that some H-P investors were upset over the proposed Autonomy takeover because Mr. Apotheker privately promised them that H-P wasn't "going to make any big acquisitions that will make you lose sleep,'' this person said.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903703604576586753827390510.html#ixzz1YnIgItCT
So, the HP board picked Meg Whitman who has been a major purchaser of HP enterprise products.
"Some might be saying maybe Meg Whitman isn't the right person, either. She's not a hardware person," said Auriga analyst Kevin Hunt. But HP "just needs someone to set the direction."
Defending her track record, Whitman said as head of eBay she had been a major purchaser of HP enterprise products.
"So I actually understand this space relatively well," she told Reuters in an interview. "What I bring to this table is leadership, management skills, strategic vision, communications and an execution orientation to deliver the result."
Meg has a few tweets. One today. Another Aug 13. and another July 4th.
MegWhitman Meg WhitmanExcited and honored to lead HP. I'm a true believer in the future of this Silicon Valley icon.MegWhitman Meg WhitmanYesterday was the 30th birthday of the PC. Happy birthday! Where would we be without you? bit.ly/rnGOOd
Compare this to Michael Dell's tweets over the last 2 days.
MichaelDell Michael DellThanks to our customers for the trust and confidence you place in us! ...Dell is the clear winner if there is no tek.io/qLq56eMichaelDell Michael DellLooking forward to speaking at Oracle OpenWorld in a couple of weeks! dell.to/nmOleCMichaelDell Michael Dell»MichaelDell Michael DellCheck out the latest servers in our Dell Modular Data Centeryoutube.com/watch?v=edxGch…
Who has more credibility in the enterprise? Michael Dell or Meg Whitman?