Buy it Now: Will Meg Whitman Prosper as HP CEO?

By on September 22, 2011 in HP

Hewlett-Packard might just be the tech world’s equivalent of Housewives of New Jersey. Not that I’ve ever watched Housewives, but the comparison just feels right: Drama, drama, sex scandals and more drama.

And so it goes with today’s news: Meg Whitman is the new President and CEO of HP. The former CEO of eBay, California gubernatorial candidate, and HP board member, Whitman takes HP’s reins over from Leo Apothekar, who was ousted from his role after less than a full year on the job.

I’ll be frank here. And I’ll do it in two ways.

One: I’m not nearly enough of a financial guru type to know if Whitman’s appointment will be met with jeers or cheers on Wall Street tomorrow morning. I’ll leave that to the other sort of pundits.

Two: HP’s a mess. The Mark Hurd -> Apothekar -> Let’s turn HP into SAP transition was a mess, and I’m not so sure that Whitman really knows how to run a company that’s traditionally made money by selling hardware. Then again, I live in California, don’t much care for Meg’s politics, and tend towards casting stones at anyone more powerful than me (i.e., most of the modern world). You can’t deny eBay’s growth under Meg’s tenure, even if you can strike back with all sorts of “Bad board member” and “Spent so much money to lose the Governor’s race” accusations in the years hence.

So, yeah, I’m not bullish on HP’s near-term future. And it’s not just because Dr. Dre went bed hopping into HTC’s sheets. But it is what it is, and now Hewlett-Packard is done with Leo and moved onto Meg. So what say you? Will HP return to glory under the woman who grew eBay into a powerhouse? Or is the downward spiral too far gone to be reversed?

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About The Author

Noah Kravitz mourned the day that Star Castle was replaced in the pizza parlour he frequented as a kid. The sadness ended when he saw an older kid make it to the Ninth Key level on the Pac Man that took his place. Years later he’s become a fixture of consumer tech reporting on the InterWebs and TV, and Galaga vies with Zoo Keeper as his all-time favorite arcade games. His loves of music, games, TV, video editing and yapping endlessly at anyone who’ll listen have all been channeled into an Internet addiction that spans screens big and small and devices portable, pocketable, and best left on his desk. Noah has been reporting on gadgets and media for a decade and a half now, including writing, podcasts and videos for PhoneDog, MacDirectory, Maximum PC, PowerBook Central, and a few other publications. He’s also written about the arts, education, and sports for some magazines you’ve likely never heard of, and has invaded your television talking about consumer electronics on CNBC, Fox Business Network, and a host of local TV stations.

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