Meg Whitman became CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. in September, replacing Leo Apotheker, who was fired after less than a year on the job. Here are some major decisions under her leadership:
_ Oct. 27, 2011: After her predecessor flirts will selling or spinning off the PC business, HP says it will keep it after all. The company says keeping it is right for the company, its customers, shareholders and business partners.
_ Dec. 9: HP says that instead of selling its webOS mobile system or killing it off, it’s making it available as open-source software that anyone can use and modify freely. The company is hoping more mobile apps will be developed under webOS by offering it to the open-source community.
_ March 21, 2012: HP says it will combine its PC and printers businesses. The move will save an unspecified amount of money as the company expects improved productivity and efficiency and streamlined customer support and supply chain. HP had combined the divisions before, but reversed that in 2005 when printers were still thriving.
_ Wednesday: HP announces plans to cut 27,000 jobs, or about 8 percent of its work force, by October 2014. The company expects to save as much as $3.5 billion annually from the job cuts and other austerity measures. HP plans to funnel most of the savings into developing more products and services that could help the company adapt to technological shifts, including growth in mobile computing and in software provided over the Internet, rather than individual computers.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.