“Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman is being considered by Hewlett-Packard directors as a possible candidate for CEO, in a move that would replace its current leader Léo Apotheker, according to several sources close to the situation,” Kara Swisher reports for AllThingsD.
“The appointment of Whitman — who is longtime and experienced Silicon Valley exec, who joined the board of Hewlett-Packard in January — to the top job at HP is by no means a done deal, sources said,” Swisher reports. “But a significant contingent on the board is keen to remove Apotheker after a what some directors consider is a series of management mishaps.”
Swisher reports, “In addition, sources said Whitman has been contemplating taking another big exec job, after her unsuccessful run for governor of California last year. Since then, she has been a part-time consultant at top venture firm Kleiner Perkins. Sources said Whitman — who has also been active with her family foundation — has shown some interest in talking about taking the HP job.”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
God help HP, ’cause they’re gonna need it.
How is replacing one doofus with another going to help HP?
Hilarious news, if true. Let’s take HP in yet another completely different direction.
I can’t see how she’d be good for HP, but I wouldn’t put it past the BoD to bring her in.
Good thing I’m not an HP shareholder or employee. The whiplash coming from all the jerking around in the boardroom would be life threatening. Buy Palm. End Palm. End PCs. We take everything back, here’s Meg!
I doubt she’ll resign as govern—oh wait, she lost. I forgot she’s the Republican loser who got her clock cleaned by Jerry Brown.
Moonbeam lives!
R2, you must not live in California. With the gathering downhill speed in this state, it’s difficult to forget that the liberal idiots of this state re-elected Governor Moonbeam.
Better him than her. As for HP, great–she’ll finish ’em off…
Perhaps HP is bringing her on-board to facilitate the seller listing of HP on eBay??? 😉
Hahahahahaha!!!
I would never have imagined getting a CEO fron eBay, but why not ? Does she have a ‘buy now’ price, or do HP make a bid and hope to win once the auction closes ?
Bernd from Berlin says: Nobody all over Germany understood why they hired Apotheker. They did not read the German papers where it already was written that Leo was no good CEO at SAP. He was completely arrogant against the customers, caused some serious PR disasters, and so on. Just the same as at HP. I like their strategy, I like it a lot.
when the hire Apo I said “what??”
Apo has no deep hardware knowledge, SAP was a software company he was FIRED from. Guess what he started to dismantle HPs hardware business and turn it into SAP.
Now they want to hire an economics grad who ran ebay (a shopping channel) and whose big dream is not the ‘Next Great Thing’ in Tech but being a Politician.
gads.
I forgot to add HP’s board probably also thinks she’s qualified because her other job before ebay was working for Hasbro managing sales for Mr. Potato Head.
http://www.investorplace.com/2011/09/meg-whitman-hewlett-packard-hpq-ebay/?cc=msnfeed
You would think HP would have learned from the last Women CEO that started HP to began circling the bowl.
“Women CEO”—watch it, Buster!
@Dave,
Have to admire your anarchistic flair, attempting to start a flame war over whether a woman is capable of running a major corporation? In the year 2011? Pure, nihilistic genius!!
Nah…rather, these two women are cut from the same energetic/personality cloth. I suspect either would have a similar adverse effect on the HP corporate culture. In that vein, it would appear HP hasn’t learned their lesson from Carley’s very awkward/inept stab at being a CEO.
Not trying to start anything just stating how I feel.
And what I believe is a feeling many have.
Dave, if your point is that any woman would be unable to run HP, but that a man could, then you are truly a horses’ ass.
If your statement was just a very inept way to say that Meg Whitman would be the wrong person for the job, then I would agree with that.
I bet the ladies love you.
How in heaven’s name do such stupid, stupid people get to be directors of big corporations? The only answer I can come up with is that they’re rich; and since they’re so stupid, they must be rich because they stole the money.
Translation: how in heaven’s name do people that I disagree with so, so much get to be directors of big corporations? The only answer that I can come up with is that they’re right; and, since they disagree with me and I can’t conceive of any other way than the ways I advocate, they must be rich because they stole the money, just like every rich person who disagrees with me steals money, because there’s no honest way to make lots of money except the way I advocate, and you can’t do it that way either.
“Here comes the new boss- same as the old boss..”
They’re screwed.
Her first move will be to replace the WebOS tablet with a licensed version of the iPad with HP branding on the back 😉
She would be a disaster of carly levels.:D
I suppose if Meg is CEO of HP that it would facilitate the sale of Touchpads on Ebay. They could list them for $99 or even $59 and sell a bunch of them. They would make up the discount in volume.
:).
Once the laughter at this Meg-fueled media trial ballon dies down, I’m guessing David Donatelli will become CEO, or possibly V.J. the printer guy.
I guffaw corrected.