For HP's financial, stock, and employment history – covering HP Inc, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Agilent, Keysight, DXC Technology, Micro Focus, and others – go to our Companies Menu.

Cultural history

Books, sites, and articles for alumni, friends, and researchers on HP and many predecessor companies.

HP Way "A uniquely dedicated culture that became a fierce competitive weapon, delivering 40 consecutive years of profitable growth." Removed from hp.com after Dec 4, 2000.

By 1999, the HP principles that had worked for decades – such as "...job security based on performance..." and "...share in the success that they make possible" – were no longer applicable. Instead of redeploying people to invent new products and develop new markets, there were continual layoffs. Company-wide profit sharing, which rewarded cross-organizational teamwork, was eliminated.

The HP Way and Corporate Objectives were replaced by the "Rules of the Garage" – developed by an ad agency in 1999 and used in a $200 million worldwide advertising campaign. The ads, which starred CEO Carly Fiorina, were shown on network TV, including the Super Bowl in January, 2000. They didn't mention any HP products – and must have mystified the vast majority of the audience.

Timeless business lessons from HP history – HP people talk frankly about what went right – and what went wrong – as this continuous startup grew rapidly for decades.

"Getting back to the HP Way" Retired HP executive and influential board member Dick Hackborn, 1999.

Books on HP  (Two dozen HP-related business books – with descriptions and Amazon links.)  

Books and links for predecessor companies: Compaq  EDS  Tandem

HP Breakup On Nov 1, 2015, the legal name of the Hewlett-Packard Company was changed to HP Inc. and a new, completely separate company -- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (green-rectangle logo; no hyphen) -- was spun out. Portions of HPE were later spun out into DXC and Micro Focus.

History of Layoffs at HP

Company Culture (Selected articles.)

Founders (Selected articles.)

HP history websites (Overall company history sites, including the official HPInc/HPE archive.)

HP historical publications (As-it-happened coverage of HP culture, products, and businesses.)

Specific product lines (Articles and websites.)

Reconnect, celebrate the good times, and appreciate those who have passed. There are many HP-related social groups on Facebook, including: HP, Agilent, Apollo, Avondale, Boise, Compaq, Corvallis, Cupertino, DEC, EDS, Greeley, Japan, Keysight, Medical, Midwest Sales, Norway, Response Center, Roseville, Santa Rosa, Southern California, Tandem, UK... Private, independent online forums operated and moderated by people from each community. Leading HP-related Facebook groups: https://www.hpalumni.org/facebook

Stock Certificates "The engraving is not one of Dave and Bill setting out to conquer the world. New York Stock Exchange rules call for two human likenesses on every stock certificate. The idea is that such artwork is difficult to forge. The artwork was selected from designs approved by the NYSE." –Measure magazine, March/April 1983

Packard listening intently at a coffee break – 1965