Damn, this story has what journalists call “legs.” It just keeps getting worse, now it’s apparent that Patricia Dunn had her goons break the privacy of reporters. I’m sure glad I’m not on HP’s PR team.
Look at the chart of HP on Google Finance. HP, if you want out of the valley of bad PR you MUST cut loose Patricia Dunn (and probably the whole board, truth be told).
Oh, someone pointed out that I had a picture of a newspaper on my blog today. Caught Scoble reading paper? Nope. They leave copies in the lobby (notice that they are unopened).
That said, you can read tomorrow’s headlines, tonight.
San Jose Mercury News is reporting that “charges are likely” in this mess.
I don’t read papers. I read what the rest of the world will see tomorrow tonight on my Tablet PC. Thank you very much to all the journalists who are keeping the heat turned up on Hewlett Packard. It should remain until HP announces that Patricia Dunn is gone.
Scobleizer 
I mentioned something like this in a blog post last month -basically stating that I thought “Web 2.0” is really about our ability (duty?) to monitor/control themselves:
“*WE* now control the Internet, the companies that do business here, and eventually HOW they do business here. THAT is Web 2.0. It’s a simple power shift, and through vocalization, communication, and communities we now have the power to not only change the politics of the nation, but the attitudes and actions of the companies we deal with every day – even the old brick and mortar companies.”
http://lagesse.org/index.php/2006/08/23/the-long-tail-and-it-isnt-what-you-think/
Rob
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I mentioned something like this in a blog post last month -basically stating that I thought “Web 2.0” is really about our ability (duty?) to monitor/control themselves:
“*WE* now control the Internet, the companies that do business here, and eventually HOW they do business here. THAT is Web 2.0. It’s a simple power shift, and through vocalization, communication, and communities we now have the power to not only change the politics of the nation, but the attitudes and actions of the companies we deal with every day – even the old brick and mortar companies.”
http://lagesse.org/index.php/2006/08/23/the-long-tail-and-it-isnt-what-you-think/
Rob
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Yes the news does seem to be getting worse, and yes it is a PR nightmare, and yes, if HP had established a stronger voice on the net then it might be having a two way conversation now instead of getting unilaterally bludgeoned.
That said, I have to ask you Robert, why are you making this story such a personal campaign? You seem to be assuming that the stories being reported are the whole truth, and you are supremely confident that you know the right solution to a difficult situation. You have had commenters (myself included) tell you that HP cannot simply “cut loose” a board member, yet you continue berating HP to do just that.
Your posts on this are taking on a weird air of “judge, jury and executioner”. What’s your motivation here? Do you think this thing is not getting enough attention from the press, the authorities, HP? Are you hoping to be able to say that you and the blogosphere helped bring down the board of the Fortune #11 company? Is your printer broken?
Maybe Dunn will resign, and maybe she won’t. Maybe she will face legal problems, and maybe she won’t. Maybe Mark Hurd will start a blog and maybe
pigs will sprout wings and soar gently over the valleyhe won’t 😉 The wheels are in motion and they are going to grind forward. In the meantime, can you say why this particular story has got you so righteously het up?LikeLike
Yes the news does seem to be getting worse, and yes it is a PR nightmare, and yes, if HP had established a stronger voice on the net then it might be having a two way conversation now instead of getting unilaterally bludgeoned.
That said, I have to ask you Robert, why are you making this story such a personal campaign? You seem to be assuming that the stories being reported are the whole truth, and you are supremely confident that you know the right solution to a difficult situation. You have had commenters (myself included) tell you that HP cannot simply “cut loose” a board member, yet you continue berating HP to do just that.
Your posts on this are taking on a weird air of “judge, jury and executioner”. What’s your motivation here? Do you think this thing is not getting enough attention from the press, the authorities, HP? Are you hoping to be able to say that you and the blogosphere helped bring down the board of the Fortune #11 company? Is your printer broken?
Maybe Dunn will resign, and maybe she won’t. Maybe she will face legal problems, and maybe she won’t. Maybe Mark Hurd will start a blog and maybe
pigs will sprout wings and soar gently over the valleyhe won’t 😉 The wheels are in motion and they are going to grind forward. In the meantime, can you say why this particular story has got you so righteously het up?LikeLike
Ok I must be inept because I don’t know WTF is gonig on with this whole HP thing.
Can someone clue me in to the complete break down of what HP did, why it was bad, and why people need to be fired because of it?
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Ok I must be inept because I don’t know WTF is gonig on with this whole HP thing.
Can someone clue me in to the complete break down of what HP did, why it was bad, and why people need to be fired because of it?
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Scoble always gets worked up by stories like this. I don’t see him being duplicitous at all. And he’s not being judge, jury, and executioner. He’s simply saying as a PR move the company should act rather than remaining silent. Regardless of what the truth is. The AG and a court will ultimately say what is truth and what isn’t. But right now HP can and should be doing something. I just bought an HP last weekend. I would specifically have not made that purchase if it had been made after this event because of this silent behavior. It makes them sound guilty. Where’s Hurd in all this? Be proactive.
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Scoble always gets worked up by stories like this. I don’t see him being duplicitous at all. And he’s not being judge, jury, and executioner. He’s simply saying as a PR move the company should act rather than remaining silent. Regardless of what the truth is. The AG and a court will ultimately say what is truth and what isn’t. But right now HP can and should be doing something. I just bought an HP last weekend. I would specifically have not made that purchase if it had been made after this event because of this silent behavior. It makes them sound guilty. Where’s Hurd in all this? Be proactive.
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Gene: >That said, I have to ask you Robert, why are you making this story such a personal campaign?
It pisses me off when rich people in power think they can abuse laws, ethics, and whatnot to get their way.
And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for. If HP’s board were allowed to get away with this then other boards will try it too and so on. I see a total slippery slope here.
But, mostly, it just disgusts me and the silence is telling. Very telling. In today’s world if the conversation is wrong you come out and say it’s wrong. Not a peep out of HP. They know this is wrong and there’s absolutely no choice they have but to cut this board free. I bet that there are committees meeting around the clock right now trying to figure out how to deal with the damage that Patricia set in motion.
David: > It makes them sound guilty.
Exactly. The longer they take to take action here the more the stain spreads across HP.
I just came back from a venture capitalist’s party with many of the valley’s richest and most powerful. NOT A SINGLE PERSON spoke out on the side of Patricia, even in private conversations. That’s telling.
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Gene: >That said, I have to ask you Robert, why are you making this story such a personal campaign?
It pisses me off when rich people in power think they can abuse laws, ethics, and whatnot to get their way.
And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for. If HP’s board were allowed to get away with this then other boards will try it too and so on. I see a total slippery slope here.
But, mostly, it just disgusts me and the silence is telling. Very telling. In today’s world if the conversation is wrong you come out and say it’s wrong. Not a peep out of HP. They know this is wrong and there’s absolutely no choice they have but to cut this board free. I bet that there are committees meeting around the clock right now trying to figure out how to deal with the damage that Patricia set in motion.
David: > It makes them sound guilty.
Exactly. The longer they take to take action here the more the stain spreads across HP.
I just came back from a venture capitalist’s party with many of the valley’s richest and most powerful. NOT A SINGLE PERSON spoke out on the side of Patricia, even in private conversations. That’s telling.
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Stefan: come on dude, I laid it all out yesterday on my blog. Go read Google News. It’s on the front page of every serious business newspaper right now.
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Stefan: come on dude, I laid it all out yesterday on my blog. Go read Google News. It’s on the front page of every serious business newspaper right now.
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>You have had commenters (myself included) tell you that HP cannot simply “cut loose” a board member, yet you continue berating HP to do just that.
This is absolutely false. If a board member has an ethical lapse he or she SHOULD BE CUT LOOSE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
And, yes, it can be done. There should be some process, yes, but this is a pretty clear-cut case.
How do I know the news articles are accurate? Because they have NOT been refuted. Not a single refutation ANYWHERE.
That’s how you tell a story is accurate in today’s age. You wait to see how HP’s PR machine rolls into action if you say something untrue about them on the front page of the Silicon Valley newspaper. Please note, this isn’t just some little gihad I’m on. This is playing out on the front page of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the San Jose Mercury News and tons of other big-name press.
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>You have had commenters (myself included) tell you that HP cannot simply “cut loose” a board member, yet you continue berating HP to do just that.
This is absolutely false. If a board member has an ethical lapse he or she SHOULD BE CUT LOOSE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
And, yes, it can be done. There should be some process, yes, but this is a pretty clear-cut case.
How do I know the news articles are accurate? Because they have NOT been refuted. Not a single refutation ANYWHERE.
That’s how you tell a story is accurate in today’s age. You wait to see how HP’s PR machine rolls into action if you say something untrue about them on the front page of the Silicon Valley newspaper. Please note, this isn’t just some little gihad I’m on. This is playing out on the front page of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the San Jose Mercury News and tons of other big-name press.
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Scoble is like a leaf blower 😉
OK, I’ll come up with something better 🙂 later.
Anyway keep your eyes shut to avoid the dust if you are passing by and just ignore the noise. The intent is to clean, though.
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Scoble is like a leaf blower 😉
OK, I’ll come up with something better 🙂 later.
Anyway keep your eyes shut to avoid the dust if you are passing by and just ignore the noise. The intent is to clean, though.
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I’m not the only one writing stuff like this. Dozens of others are too. Charles Cooper at CNET, for instance, writes here “give her the boot:” http://news.com.com/Time+for+HP+to+clean+house/2010-1014_3-6113423.html
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I’m not the only one writing stuff like this. Dozens of others are too. Charles Cooper at CNET, for instance, writes here “give her the boot:” http://news.com.com/Time+for+HP+to+clean+house/2010-1014_3-6113423.html
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What amazes me is how quickly this dirt on the boardroom floor is being covered in the Google and Yahoo blog reports up by press releases on products and services.
It seems to me that as soon as there’s an utterance about ethics from Scoble or another blogger, there are two or three press releases churned out about an HP product and they percolate into the news flow, effectively diminishing the discussion of responsible corporate behaviour.
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What amazes me is how quickly this dirt on the boardroom floor is being covered in the Google and Yahoo blog reports up by press releases on products and services.
It seems to me that as soon as there’s an utterance about ethics from Scoble or another blogger, there are two or three press releases churned out about an HP product and they percolate into the news flow, effectively diminishing the discussion of responsible corporate behaviour.
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Groklaw, a site that usually tracks anti-trust actions and corporate law, has a lengthy post about this too: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060906153507963
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Groklaw, a site that usually tracks anti-trust actions and corporate law, has a lengthy post about this too: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060906153507963
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Ahh, HP PR is starting to back away from the board in public statements. A spokesperson said the company was “dismayed.” That was reported in BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K0AN6O0.htm?sub=apn_news_down&chan=db
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Ahh, HP PR is starting to back away from the board in public statements. A spokesperson said the company was “dismayed.” That was reported in BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K0AN6O0.htm?sub=apn_news_down&chan=db
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New York Times reports that John Markoff is one of the reporters targeted.
“In acknowledging Thursday that journalists’ records had also been obtained, the company said it was apologizing to each one. “H.P. is dismayed that the phone records of journalists were accessed without their knowledge,” a company spokesman, Michael Moeller, said.”
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New York Times reports that John Markoff is one of the reporters targeted.
“In acknowledging Thursday that journalists’ records had also been obtained, the company said it was apologizing to each one. “H.P. is dismayed that the phone records of journalists were accessed without their knowledge,” a company spokesman, Michael Moeller, said.”
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This IS serious…private information can be used to abuse. I have been slandered by an extremely large organization before, and it is not fun. It can ruin people, and their families. Most who work for a company have this crazy belief that a corporation is a pillar of structure and discipline and rule of law. NOT!!! This case is a keystone example of the individuals leading a large corporation using it to hide unethical acts, not unlike Enron or Qwest. It is not just Dunn but the complict other directors save Perkins and Keyworth. This reaches the heart of every employee who has been brushed aside, harmed, cheated, asked to do unethical tasks, stepped on, slandered, received malicious gossip, or been targeted…etc. Employees are tired of leaders misusing their power. In fact, the humble people of this world are TIRED of the abuse of power!!! For the record! We have had it! HP directors abused their power…and what is telling is they did it against each other. Weasels. Always honor your humanity…it is where you find your soul.
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This IS serious…private information can be used to abuse. I have been slandered by an extremely large organization before, and it is not fun. It can ruin people, and their families. Most who work for a company have this crazy belief that a corporation is a pillar of structure and discipline and rule of law. NOT!!! This case is a keystone example of the individuals leading a large corporation using it to hide unethical acts, not unlike Enron or Qwest. It is not just Dunn but the complict other directors save Perkins and Keyworth. This reaches the heart of every employee who has been brushed aside, harmed, cheated, asked to do unethical tasks, stepped on, slandered, received malicious gossip, or been targeted…etc. Employees are tired of leaders misusing their power. In fact, the humble people of this world are TIRED of the abuse of power!!! For the record! We have had it! HP directors abused their power…and what is telling is they did it against each other. Weasels. Always honor your humanity…it is where you find your soul.
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Fortune magazine’s David Kirkpatrick is asking for Dunn to resign. http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/07/technology/fastforward_hp.fortune/index.htm
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Fortune magazine’s David Kirkpatrick is asking for Dunn to resign. http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/07/technology/fastforward_hp.fortune/index.htm
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Look at the chart of HP on Google Finance.
Be careful to read the Y-axis labels, though: it’s actually only down by a few percent. (About $36.5 on Tuesday; about $35.5 today.)
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Look at the chart of HP on Google Finance.
Be careful to read the Y-axis labels, though: it’s actually only down by a few percent. (About $36.5 on Tuesday; about $35.5 today.)
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>> It’s on the front page of every serious business newspaper right now.
Robert, how would you know if you aren’t reading newspapers?
BTW, there are still huge audiences you cannot reach unless you are in a paper or on local TV.
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>> It’s on the front page of every serious business newspaper right now.
Robert, how would you know if you aren’t reading newspapers?
BTW, there are still huge audiences you cannot reach unless you are in a paper or on local TV.
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@James Kew:
My thoughts exactly, that stock drop means nothing. I see my company’s stock rise or drop that much any given day/week/whatever. It probably has little or nothing to do with this current news.
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@James Kew:
My thoughts exactly, that stock drop means nothing. I see my company’s stock rise or drop that much any given day/week/whatever. It probably has little or nothing to do with this current news.
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Robert,
If you ever end up in this situation, I would advise you strongly to get legal advice before you just “put it all out there”. If HP says anything even a little bit wrong, and in a way that you and I would dismiss, they could be opening themselves up to crap in court that just plain doesn’t make sense. Whether it makes sense or not, it could cost money.
By being quiet, they have you pissed off. But is it costing them money? By that I mean – is Joe or Jane college student not buying an HP printer right now? If they are or are not, is this screwup influencing that decision?
If it isn’t influencing buyers – then opening their mouths ONLY induces risk.
Regardless of what is being said, I guarentee that you DO NOT know what is in the employment contracts. Yes, you would reasonably think that HP should be able to fire her, but you do NOT know that they can. You do NOT know what she would be able to sue them for if they did. Just becuase other journalists are saying “do it” does not mean they know what those contracts say.
I am not saying that the contracts says “you can’t fire me for any reason what so ever” but you equally can’t tell me that it doesn’t say that.
For the record: I think what she did was horrible and likely illegal (I don’t know the law). I think that HP is in a PR nightmare zone.
I don’t know that being upfront and honest would get them out of that zone (the stories have already started – would they go away?) and I don’t know that any consumers care (and thus hurt the bottom line). I would further say that I don’t think you do either. Being mad is one thing – making demands that you have no idea if they can do is another. You don’t know that firing her isn’t stupider than just not re-electing her from a corporate bottom line point of view.
Gavin
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Robert,
If you ever end up in this situation, I would advise you strongly to get legal advice before you just “put it all out there”. If HP says anything even a little bit wrong, and in a way that you and I would dismiss, they could be opening themselves up to crap in court that just plain doesn’t make sense. Whether it makes sense or not, it could cost money.
By being quiet, they have you pissed off. But is it costing them money? By that I mean – is Joe or Jane college student not buying an HP printer right now? If they are or are not, is this screwup influencing that decision?
If it isn’t influencing buyers – then opening their mouths ONLY induces risk.
Regardless of what is being said, I guarentee that you DO NOT know what is in the employment contracts. Yes, you would reasonably think that HP should be able to fire her, but you do NOT know that they can. You do NOT know what she would be able to sue them for if they did. Just becuase other journalists are saying “do it” does not mean they know what those contracts say.
I am not saying that the contracts says “you can’t fire me for any reason what so ever” but you equally can’t tell me that it doesn’t say that.
For the record: I think what she did was horrible and likely illegal (I don’t know the law). I think that HP is in a PR nightmare zone.
I don’t know that being upfront and honest would get them out of that zone (the stories have already started – would they go away?) and I don’t know that any consumers care (and thus hurt the bottom line). I would further say that I don’t think you do either. Being mad is one thing – making demands that you have no idea if they can do is another. You don’t know that firing her isn’t stupider than just not re-electing her from a corporate bottom line point of view.
Gavin
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IS HP brain-dead or what? Worst PR response in decades, take immediate action, (where’s the rapid response team?) cut the story at the legs, instead they are Kenneth Layish hemming and haw, pouring gallons of gasoline on an already roaring city fire.
Firestone was rendered catatonic, but HP is arrogantly defiant. You need to get ahead of this story fast. But it’s already too late, it’s out there, in big press and they smell blood in the water, with HP playing the stonewalling Gary Condit lead part…
While, Scoble is (as usual) bloggy over-melodramatic, he’s right…her head needs to be on a platter, however possible, emergency session, anything, like now, hunkering down is the worst outcome. Even if they do the right thing, they didn’t do it then, when it matter. So they lost this PR blip game already.
I have a press pulse, and this story ain’t slowing down…months and and months of coverage…will fade in the mainstream in a few weeks, but the techs will kick this up all through the winter…mark my words.
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IS HP brain-dead or what? Worst PR response in decades, take immediate action, (where’s the rapid response team?) cut the story at the legs, instead they are Kenneth Layish hemming and haw, pouring gallons of gasoline on an already roaring city fire.
Firestone was rendered catatonic, but HP is arrogantly defiant. You need to get ahead of this story fast. But it’s already too late, it’s out there, in big press and they smell blood in the water, with HP playing the stonewalling Gary Condit lead part…
While, Scoble is (as usual) bloggy over-melodramatic, he’s right…her head needs to be on a platter, however possible, emergency session, anything, like now, hunkering down is the worst outcome. Even if they do the right thing, they didn’t do it then, when it matter. So they lost this PR blip game already.
I have a press pulse, and this story ain’t slowing down…months and and months of coverage…will fade in the mainstream in a few weeks, but the techs will kick this up all through the winter…mark my words.
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Robert,
Not only – “Because they have NOT been refuted. Not a single refutation ANYWHERE” – they have CONFIRMED the activity :
SEC filing :
“On June 19, following his resignation and after HP reported Mr. Perkins’ resignation on Form 8-K, Mr. Perkins sought information from HP concerning the methods used to conduct HP’s investigations into the leaks, asserted that phone and e-mail communications had been improperly recorded as part of the investigation, and informed HP that he had recently consulted with counsel regarding that assertion. In response to Mr. Perkins’ request, HP informed Mr. Perkins that no recording or eavesdropping had occurred, but that some form of “pretexting” for phone record information, a technique used by investigators to obtain information by disguising their identity, had been used. Mr. Perkins, although no longer a director, then requested that HP conduct an inquiry into the propriety of the techniques used to conduct the investigation.”
… and state that it is NOT legal. (in legalese)
The Committee was then advised by the Committee’s outside counsel that the use of pretexting at the time of the investigation was not generally unlawful (except with respect to financial institutions), but such counsel could not confirm that the techniques employed by the outside consulting firm and the party retained by that firm complied in all respects with applicable law.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/47217/000110465906059471/a06-19246_18k.htm
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Robert,
Not only – “Because they have NOT been refuted. Not a single refutation ANYWHERE” – they have CONFIRMED the activity :
SEC filing :
“On June 19, following his resignation and after HP reported Mr. Perkins’ resignation on Form 8-K, Mr. Perkins sought information from HP concerning the methods used to conduct HP’s investigations into the leaks, asserted that phone and e-mail communications had been improperly recorded as part of the investigation, and informed HP that he had recently consulted with counsel regarding that assertion. In response to Mr. Perkins’ request, HP informed Mr. Perkins that no recording or eavesdropping had occurred, but that some form of “pretexting” for phone record information, a technique used by investigators to obtain information by disguising their identity, had been used. Mr. Perkins, although no longer a director, then requested that HP conduct an inquiry into the propriety of the techniques used to conduct the investigation.”
… and state that it is NOT legal. (in legalese)
The Committee was then advised by the Committee’s outside counsel that the use of pretexting at the time of the investigation was not generally unlawful (except with respect to financial institutions), but such counsel could not confirm that the techniques employed by the outside consulting firm and the party retained by that firm complied in all respects with applicable law.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/47217/000110465906059471/a06-19246_18k.htm
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Anyone know the odds on Scoble taking credit for outsing Dunn when it happens?
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Anyone know the odds on Scoble taking credit for outsing Dunn when it happens?
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How many people at Sony were fired for the rootkit?
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How many people at Sony were fired for the rootkit?
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While you people are running around being outraged – please remember when you vote this fall that this is not any different from what your federal government is doing right now in the name of “security”.
Its just a question of scale. And its wrong in both cases.
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While you people are running around being outraged – please remember when you vote this fall that this is not any different from what your federal government is doing right now in the name of “security”.
Its just a question of scale. And its wrong in both cases.
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@5: It pisses me off… And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for… But, mostly, it just disgusts me and the silence is telling.
I can respect those reasons, and I mostly agree with them. I wish HP were in the conversation, but you know as well as I do that the lawyers have this one locked down tight as a drum. This is a big, conservative, public company; if there’s a possiblity of criminal charges here, then there’s NO WAY they are going to make any public statements at this point.
@7: This is absolutely false. If a board member has an ethical lapse he or she SHOULD BE CUT LOOSE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
And, yes, it can be done. There should be some process, yes, but this is a pretty clear-cut case.
Dude, yes there is a process. It is a. Resignation (which only Dunn can do herself), or b. Court order (which only a judge can do, and not inconceivable if it becomes a criminal proceeding), or c. Shareholder vote to remove (which only a majority of the shareholders can do). HP itself can do none of these things. The most HP can do is call a special meeting of the shareholders — the CEO and a majority of the board can do so — and then c) can take place. cf
HP’s company bylaws.
If you know of another way for HP to cut a director loose, I’d like to know it. Otherwise it’s just wishful thinking.
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@5: It pisses me off… And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for… But, mostly, it just disgusts me and the silence is telling.
I can respect those reasons, and I mostly agree with them. I wish HP were in the conversation, but you know as well as I do that the lawyers have this one locked down tight as a drum. This is a big, conservative, public company; if there’s a possiblity of criminal charges here, then there’s NO WAY they are going to make any public statements at this point.
@7: This is absolutely false. If a board member has an ethical lapse he or she SHOULD BE CUT LOOSE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
And, yes, it can be done. There should be some process, yes, but this is a pretty clear-cut case.
Dude, yes there is a process. It is a. Resignation (which only Dunn can do herself), or b. Court order (which only a judge can do, and not inconceivable if it becomes a criminal proceeding), or c. Shareholder vote to remove (which only a majority of the shareholders can do). HP itself can do none of these things. The most HP can do is call a special meeting of the shareholders — the CEO and a majority of the board can do so — and then c) can take place. cf
HP’s company bylaws.
If you know of another way for HP to cut a director loose, I’d like to know it. Otherwise it’s just wishful thinking.
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Todd, right on. Paraphrasing what Scoble said:
It pisses me off when rich people in power think they can abuse laws, ethics, and whatnot to get their way.
And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for. If the Bush Administration were allowed to get away with this then other politicians will try it too and so on. I see a total slippery slope here.
Not to go down a rathole or anything ;-D
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Todd, right on. Paraphrasing what Scoble said:
It pisses me off when rich people in power think they can abuse laws, ethics, and whatnot to get their way.
And, it’s a principle I think it’s worth fighting for. If the Bush Administration were allowed to get away with this then other politicians will try it too and so on. I see a total slippery slope here.
Not to go down a rathole or anything ;-D
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Gene: it’s pretty clear this board is tainted. There’s no one refuting that at this point. So, if I were in charge of HP I would be calling for a special meeting of the shareholders.
As for not making public statements, that’s wrong. HP already made public statements today distancing themselves from this board. They need to go the full distance and get rid of this board totally and find a replacement board.
I certainly wouldn’t get into the pedantics of how you “cut them loose.”
LayZ: if you ever see me take credit for something like this I’ll certainly deserve major scorn.
Met: the rootkit was slimy, but it wasn’t like this. This goes WAY over the top.
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Gene: it’s pretty clear this board is tainted. There’s no one refuting that at this point. So, if I were in charge of HP I would be calling for a special meeting of the shareholders.
As for not making public statements, that’s wrong. HP already made public statements today distancing themselves from this board. They need to go the full distance and get rid of this board totally and find a replacement board.
I certainly wouldn’t get into the pedantics of how you “cut them loose.”
LayZ: if you ever see me take credit for something like this I’ll certainly deserve major scorn.
Met: the rootkit was slimy, but it wasn’t like this. This goes WAY over the top.
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Gene and Todd: I am with you, believe me. But I care about the technology industry, and that’s what I’ll focus on here.
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Gene and Todd: I am with you, believe me. But I care about the technology industry, and that’s what I’ll focus on here.
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I suspect the market will have the final say. What damage does this do to HP’s brand? Can the board lead?
Long-term damage is done. Spying on journalists. That’s bad.
J&J is remembered in PR lore for its Tylenol scare handling. It’s helped them be a most admired contender for a long time.
HP will be remembered for this in the same way, only negatively. This is the corporate equivalent of Watergate.
Mr. Market is much bigger that Ms. Dunn, or any Chairman or CEO for that matter.
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I suspect the market will have the final say. What damage does this do to HP’s brand? Can the board lead?
Long-term damage is done. Spying on journalists. That’s bad.
J&J is remembered in PR lore for its Tylenol scare handling. It’s helped them be a most admired contender for a long time.
HP will be remembered for this in the same way, only negatively. This is the corporate equivalent of Watergate.
Mr. Market is much bigger that Ms. Dunn, or any Chairman or CEO for that matter.
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Investors will be nervous about one thing in all of this, and its not the board.
It’s the mysterious “internal group” that HP said knew about the investigation.
Who is in that group? That’s the BIG question. Was CEO Hurd in the loop?
If so, you’d be really worried if you held shares, especially as criminal charges are likely, either for illegally gaining access to records or providing SSNs to outsiders.
Hedgies must be all over this trying to find out who is on the internal spy squad.
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Investors will be nervous about one thing in all of this, and its not the board.
It’s the mysterious “internal group” that HP said knew about the investigation.
Who is in that group? That’s the BIG question. Was CEO Hurd in the loop?
If so, you’d be really worried if you held shares, especially as criminal charges are likely, either for illegally gaining access to records or providing SSNs to outsiders.
Hedgies must be all over this trying to find out who is on the internal spy squad.
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@27. Yea, Scoble, you’re right. I probably mispoke. The more accurate quesiton would be:
What are the odds that Scoble will attibute the resignation of Dunn to pressue from the “blogosphere”? Saying something like “it wasn’t until I and other bloggers picked up this story that HP saw the mess they were in”
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@27. Yea, Scoble, you’re right. I probably mispoke. The more accurate quesiton would be:
What are the odds that Scoble will attibute the resignation of Dunn to pressue from the “blogosphere”? Saying something like “it wasn’t until I and other bloggers picked up this story that HP saw the mess they were in”
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LayZ: the big guns are blowing holes in HP too so I can’t take credit for that either. Sorry to blow your “Scoble is an arrogant bahstard who’ll take credit for everything” theories.
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LayZ: the big guns are blowing holes in HP too so I can’t take credit for that either. Sorry to blow your “Scoble is an arrogant bahstard who’ll take credit for everything” theories.
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This comment isn’t about HP – it’s about how you read “tomorrow’s news tonight”.
Care to share your recommendations for news organizations that are accurate (timeliness is good but accuracy counts for more in my book)?
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This comment isn’t about HP – it’s about how you read “tomorrow’s news tonight”.
Care to share your recommendations for news organizations that are accurate (timeliness is good but accuracy counts for more in my book)?
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