Waves at HP

Having worked in the tech industry for a decade and a half, I have watched a number of interesting corporate changes over the years. I watched Apple grow from a small company to a large one, flirt with bankruptcy, and recover. I remember visiting this small company I never heard of called "Cisco" back in the early 1990s (if only I had bought its stock then!). Stupid acquisitions like the AT&T purchase of NCR were interesting. And all of this was before the whole tech bubble and subsequent burst.

One of the sadder things to have watched has been the trashing of Hewlett Packard's culture. I never worked for HP but I have called on them for years as a supplier and know people who work there. HP was recognized throughout the tech industry as one of the prototypes of the modern tech company in the way they treated their workers, their open environment, and the close interaction between top management and staff.

All of that has changed, and it's becoming public. I recommend reading Fear and Loathing at HP.