As the outgoing CEO and his replacement metaphorically passed each other at the lunchroom time clock, perhaps they exchanged pleasantries a la Ralph E. Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, engaging in idle chit-chat about the perils and perks of working for Acme Corp., er, Hewlett-Packard.
Yeah, probably not. But recently ousted Leo Apotheker and HP's new boss, Meg Whitman, did have some nice things to say about each other in his last memo to HP employees and her very first one as CEO.
Nor were there any Bartzian fireworks here. Apotheker offered up a plain-vanilla "HP-has-a-bright-future" farewell, while Whitman pledged to listen to what any of HP's bazillion employees might suggest at any time (yeah, right) and pledged "to refocus the energy of the organization on our mission and on the performance necessary to accomplish it" without giving any details of what the mission is.
Apotheker's goodbye was published by Thisismynext.com Friday:
TO/ All HP Employees
FROM/ Léo Apotheker
Dear HP Employees:
This afternoon, HP issued a press release announcing my resignation as president and CEO, positions I have held with great honor this past year. Meg Whitman will assume the role of president and CEO.
As you know, Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution and has served HP well as a member of the board for the past eight months. Meg will be supported by a broad and deep management team, and I have the utmost confidence that HP will succeed in executing its strategic evolution.
On a personal level, I cannot begin to express the admiration I have for all of you—and what you have accomplished together. Over the past year, we were tasked with developing a strategic vision for HP and I know we have made important contributions to the company's future.
Your efforts on behalf of HP and your dedication to our customers have inspired me—and I am confident that HP has a bright future because of the talented people that come to work here every day. Thank you for your commitment to HP and for your dedication in serving HP's customers and partners. It has been a tremendous honor and a pleasure to work with you here at HP.
Sincerely,
Léo Apotheker
Mashable, meanwhile, served up Whitman's intro email:
TO/ All HP Employees
FROM/ Meg Whitman and Ray Lane
We are writing today as the new CEO and executive chairman of HP.
First let us say that we are true believers in the future of HP. We have always had enormous respect for HP and its well-earned iconic status as one of the most important technology companies in the world. We look forward to working with you as we take HP to the next level.
As you may have seen in the press release we issued earlier today, Leo Apotheker has stepped down as president, chief executive officer and resigned as a director of the company. We very much appreciate Leo's efforts and his service to HP since his appointment last year.
In addition, Ray Lane has been appointed executive chairman of the board of directors. This means that Ray will play a more active role in guiding the company. To ensure good governance practices, HP also intends to appoint a lead independent director soon.
We know that change is difficult. The decision to change the leadership of HP is one the board took seriously. We assure you that it was a difficult decision – and one that was made after careful and thoughtful deliberation – but one the board believes is absolutely necessary for the success of the company.
HP is a leading technology company with a real purpose and the ability to positively impact the way the world works. We all recognize that the technology landscape is changing rapidly and we have to do more than simply adapt. We must invest in innovation, leverage the strength of our core businesses, enhance our software capabilities and integrate our assets to maximize the value of our investments. We believe in HP's strategy, and we are confident that together, with renewed focus and energy, we will deliver on our priorities for our stockholders, customers and other stakeholders.
Our hallways are filled with the industry's brightest and most talented people. We believe we all understand that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Each and every one of you contributes to our success. The board wants to continue proving to our customers, partners and stockholders why HP is—and should remain—a leader in our industry.
A top priority for us will be to refocus the energy of the organization on our mission and on the performance necessary to accomplish it. We need you to be the ambassadors of HP and work both collaboratively and effectively to usher HP into the future. To reach that goal, we need your best work and a focus on execution.
We believe that HP matters. It matters to Silicon Valley, California, the United States and the world. We will maintain and build upon our proud and deep-rooted legacy. We understand the strength of this company, and we know we have the right tools and the talented people to achieve our goals and execute our strategy.
We want to hear directly from you. Good ideas come from everyone, so please send any thoughts you would like to share to employee survey. We also invite you to join Meg tomorrow at 9 a.m. Pacific Time as we discuss this announcement. Details for the meeting will follow shortly.
We look forward to working with all of you. Thank you for your ongoing and deep commitment to HP.
Sincerely,
Meg and Ray
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