HP CEO Resigns During Sexual Harassment Investigation 233
A number of readers are letting us know that HP CEO Mark Hurd just resigned over sexual harassment accusations. The company's board has appointed CFO Cathie Lesjak as interim CEO. A contractor had accused Hurd of sexual harassment, and the board brought in outside counsel to investigate. While the harassment claim could not be substantiated, the investigation did uncover other misconduct. Hurd's "close personal relationship" with the contractor created a conflict of interest, and he was also found to have misused company assets. In a statement, Hurd said, "As the investigation progressed, I realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career."
Wasn't he the CEO during the pretexting scandal? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Wasn't he the CEO during the pretexting scandal (Score:5, Informative)
While it pains me to defend this piece of shit, the truth is that the pretexting was the handiwork of Patricia Dunn (chairwoman of HP board at the time), and the Hurd wasn't involved.
It's not the title that's cursed (Score:3, Informative)
It's not the title that's cursed, its the reputation of a once-great company repeatedly getting abused and taken for granted by those chosen to lead it.
Here's to hoping the board has better judgment when choosing the next one. Their track record so far (Carly, and now this) isn't exactly inspiring.
SirWired
Re:Resigned? Yeah right! He got his ass fired! (Score:5, Informative)
I wonder what kind of golden parachute the board paid to make him go away quietly?
According to CNN [cnn.com], he could make $53 million in severance pay.
SBC (Score:5, Informative)
Posting this anonymously since I work for HP.
Seems Mark violated the Standarts of Business Conduct (SBC). Every new employee has to study the SBC and every year these is a mandatory training on understanding this document. It kind of discredits both the SBC and the trainings if the CEO breaks his own rules.
Oh, and I hope they will find a new CEO who actually understands how technology works. Mark was not much better than Carly - HP now hardly does any serious R&D (except for HP Labs which actually does pretty cool stuff), preferring to buy established companies.
Re:Wasn't he the CEO during the pretexting scandal (Score:5, Informative)
As a followup... one impressive thing (Score:4, Informative)
While Hurd himself has proven to be yet another spineless idiot with no moral compass, the General Counsel did not mince words:
(From CNET)
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Holston said the company's investigation revealed that the contractor had received compensation and incorrect expense reimbursement from Hurd as part of his attempt to conceal his relationship with her.
HP's board was notified of the matter after receiving a letter from the outside contracting firm on June 29. HP conducted an investigation with outside investigators and concluded that Hurd's conduct "exhibited a profound lack of judgment," according to Holston.
The amount of expenses involved is not material to HP, according to Holston. "The facts that drove the decision for the company had to do with integrity, with credibility, and honesty," he told investors on a call Friday.
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For a corporate press release, this is practically ten-magaton nuclear anger. The only time I've seen something close is bankrupt corrupt company trying to throw the old CEO under the bus while trying to worm out of a shareholder lawsuit.
Motto (Score:3, Informative)
Mark Hurd's bio disappeared from HP's site:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/bios/hurd.html [hp.com]
His motto was:
"Everything we do must be for the customer. If it's not, then we need to reconsider why we're doing it."
http://web.archive.org/web/20071226095057/http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/bios/hurd.html [archive.org]
He should have tried to respect it...
Re:...what? (Score:3, Informative)
People have been saying that for a long time. Of course, they've also been saying "Steve Ballmer, get your hands out of the crack of your ass... and stop smelling them!"
Re:Wasn't he the CEO during the pretexting scandal (Score:3, Informative)
Re:HP CEO title is cursed (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Crap floats. (Score:3, Informative)
the definition of the two may well overlap: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Psychopathy#Psychopathy_vs._sociopathy [wikimedia.org]
Re:"contractors" like this, so no women taken srsl (Score:3, Informative)
Re:He used company funds for his fling (Score:3, Informative)
But he should have paid for the whole fling out of his own pocket; too many CEOs treat the company treasury as their piggy bank.
True, but if you use company funds for your peccadilloes it's a lot harder for your wife to find out.
Re:Crap floats. (Score:3, Informative)
http://slashdot.org/submission/1285008/Why-Modern-Business-Is-Bad-for-Your-Mental-Health [slashdot.org]
Should I resubmit this?
Re:Wasn't he the CEO during the pretexting scandal (Score:3, Informative)
I started working for HP shortly after Carly came in, and I had the privilege to work with a number of 30+ year HP employees. They had worked for (and in several cases personally met) Bill and Dave and they had nothing but praise for them. They also had an amazing loyalty to the company - a loyalty that took one beating after another under Carly's leadership.
Maybe you're right that no employee of a tech company has anything good to say these days, but it wasn't the case at HP for many years.
As to the current situation, I know a number of people that still work there and they are miserable - far more so than when I left 5 years ago. Things were tough when I left, but it sounds like they've gotten far worse over time.