Summary Box: Choice of HP CEO signals new direction
By APFriday, October 1, 2010
Summary Box: Choice of HP CEO sends signal
THE CHOICE: Leo Apotheker, 57, will be the new head of Hewlett-Packard Co. He comes from German enterprise software maker SAP AG.
THE MESSAGE: HP’s board went far afield and bypassed internal candidates to find a CEO with experience in enterprise software, where HP is weak. Observers see this as a signal that HP wants to expand this segment.
THE REASON: HP’s core printer and PC businesses are stagnating, and margins on PCs are thin. Large customers want to deal with one-stop shops that can combine hardware, software and services.
YOUR VIEW POINT
