Re:Why HP Fell
by bsder on Monday August 20, 2018 @11:40AM
(#17800826)
As much maligned as COMPAQ's acquisition of DEC was, you have to remember that DEC's enterprise side was still printing cash to the tune of something like a billion dollars a year.
Intel, for example, ran every single fab line on VMS at the time. There were other customers with similar requirements and monetary outlays when they needed something reliable.
Considering this, you have a business that you can simply milk for cash profit for 10-20 years as it slowly winds down.
The fact that HP couldn't figure this out is a gigantic failure of management at the board and CEO level.
Intel, for example, ran every single fab line on VMS at the time. There were other customers with similar requirements and monetary outlays when they needed something reliable.
Considering this, you have a business that you can simply milk for cash profit for 10-20 years as it slowly winds down.
The fact that HP couldn't figure this out is a gigantic failure of management at the board and CEO level.