Cleaning up some old files, and getting ready for yet another personal move (this time from California to Washington to be nearer to our grandchildren), I found some vintage David Packard memos.
Many folk who joined HP from about 1971 onward (about the time Packard was returning from the Defense Department) had this view that Packard was a demi-god, with wisdom and perspective, to whom we could all turn for advice and assistance. Not exactly doddering, but beneficent and kindly.
Old-timers knew better, and one shared two notes with me (that should have been included in The HP Phenomenon, but weren't). Dave's handwriting was not exactly fine penmanship, but it certainly conveyed authenticity.
The third note came out n 1991, near the end of Dave' s 'tour of duty' at HP, when a San Jose Mercury-News story described HP origins without asking Dave.
Note 1: Sent to Al Bagley, General Manager of the F&T division, circa 1957: "Bagley This is both a waste of money and a violation of policy! DP
Note 2: Note to WFC (Frank Cavier, CFO) and Van B (Ed van Bronkhorst, Corp Treasurer) and Jack Brigham (Corp Sec'y), circa Packard's chief nemesis--Excess Inventory. He used these examples for the 1966 tour around the company, and again in 1973 to stop HP from borrowing money. This note is undated, but said to be from the latter "Give 'em Hell" speeches he led (against Hewlett, no less).
And, years later, still strident, in a note to a young, hapless PR woman:
HOUSTON? Really? It was bad enough when Palo Alto was forsaken by HP (or was it HPE?), arguing that San Jose was more 'hospitable'. But Houston? So Compaq finally won after all? Even though the Compaq products are more significant for HP Inc. than for HPE?
Oh, sorry, I forgot that Tandem, another Bay Area start-up, is the chief residual product family for HPE, and that was acquired for HP via the Compaq acquisition (or merger, or take-over . . . ).
So the San Jose Mercury-News story spends much time explaining that the "new San Jose" headquarters will now be repurposed to become the lead for HP Labs and a host of researchy-like things, and TRUST US, the employment in the area will NOT BE AFFECTED. Right, except maybe for the salary ranges.
And the Houston Chronicle spends much time saying that even though it won't change employment in Houston either, it will be "A RENAISSANCE" for the area, since HP is such a bellwether attraction for other company leaderships. Really? Google might be, but HP? These days?
The Washington Post had a somewhat different slant on the story. It foretells a MUCH LARGER HPE Houston https://abc13.com/hp-enterprise-moving-headquarters-from-california-to-texas-spring-tech-giant/8421335/Since they quoted CEO Antonio Neri, it might be closer to the truth:“As we look to the future, our business needs, opportunities for cost savings, and team members’ preferences about the future of work, we are excited to relocate HPE’s headquarters to the Houston region,” CEO Antonio Neri said in a written statement Tuesday.
I don't quite understand the comment:"team members' preferences about the future of work" Wasn't it HP that Rob Enderle extolled in ComputerWorld in May about "remote work"? Rob is that rare commentator who still says what's on his mind without regard for politics. https://www.computerworld.com/article/3546255/the-hp-example-how-to-do-collaboration-and-remote-work-right.html Title: The HP example: How to do collaboration and remote work right First Sentence: Companies that figure out how to carry on successfully with a distributed workforce can emerge from the ongoing pandemic stronger than before. HP offers lessons on how to do that." Note that he did NOT say, "by moving to Houston"
So. lessee, now. Agilent moved to Santa Clara from Palo Alto; Keysight moved from Santa Clara to Santa Rosa; HPE moved from Palo Alto to San Jose to Houston. Oh, yes, there is still HP Inc. (or HP INK, as some call it). and it's still in Palo Alto, right?
Would Hewlett and Packard be rolling in their graves? Or had they long since quit worrying?
There undoubtedly are those who think this Blog has ended (some might say, mercifully). SURPRISE!
I'm still alive and kickin', a Covid bout in March notwithstanding, and still interested in things HP. It's just that my connections with the company have been much more modest in recent years, and if there's nothing to say except pass along Obituaries of PIPs (Previously Important People), it seems almost wasted ink.
Oh, THERE's a topic. INK, as in HP Ink-Jets and derivatives. Chris Goward, who runs a fabulous consulting firm called WiderFunnel, recently interviewed Anthony Napolitano, who runs the HP service business regarding "Ink as a Service". See the short Facebook clip showing Anthony and the idea: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=303711624104243
I did a most enjoyable workshop for VP Steve Nigro and about 100 HP execs in the printing world in 2013. Steve retired from HP in 2019. Many know of Steve's impressive resume:
Stephen Nigro is an industry veteran who has spent more than 37 years at HP working in a variety of capacities, most recently as President of 3D Printing, overseeing the global build out and execution of that business segment. Prior to that, Nigro was Senior Vice President of Imaging and Printing, leading all of HP’s printing businesses including HP Inkjet, HP LaserJet and HP Graphics.
Other senior leadership positions at HP that were held in the past by Nigro, included Senior Vice President of Inkjet and Graphics business, Senior Vice President of Retail and Web Solutions, Senior Vice President of Graphics and Imaging, and Senior Vice President of Technology Platforms.
Most notably, Nigro led the creation of the graphics arts business, 3D business and expansion of HP’s global inkjet business.
Nigro holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara.
Out of that workshop, the "Ink as a Service" idea gained strength, and Napolitano has led it since. I was invited to become a 'charter member' and we in fact did use it for awhile, but it was designed for the casual home-user (as in 15 pages per month), and we are prodigious users of HP printers and ink for reasons I'll spare you for now.
Then along came the Marketeers, and it became "FREE INK FOR A LIFETIME" (which, for our usage would have been welcome indeed--we spend ten times the our printers' cost for ink for them annually).
HP recently informed Instant Ink plan customers that after just three years, it was ending its "free ink for life" deal, according to Consumer Reports. It becomes not-so-free as of Friday.
What was this deal? The company remotely monitored printer buyers' ink usage (creepy!), and sent a "free" cartridge when they were running low...with some caveats.
Printing (and ink) was not unlimited. Users were allowed to print 15 pages per month. Subscribers also had to have a credit card on file with HP. If you went over 15 pages, HP would charge you a dollar for 10 additional pages.
Oh, another fun component of the plan: Every five pages, HP would PRINT AN AD on your printer. Don't worry, the ad wouldn't count against your quota. Phew!
But now those halcyon days are gone. HP will charge participants in the program 99 cents per month for their 15 pages. Sure, nearly $12 a year doesn't sound like a lot, but, again, they signed up for FREE ink for life.
There are tiers that cost between 99 cents to $24.99/month for more pages, based on your printing needs. One positive change to the plan is that you can roll over your unused pages up to a cap.
The bait-and-switch "free ink for life" deal is just the latest trick pulled by HP (and other printer companies) to make as much money as possible from their machines. Writer Cory Doctorow broke down how HP has milked its customers dry with “security chips” in ink cartridges that stop your printer from working if you try to use (cheaper) ink from a third party.
Printer makers face the same challenge as every other hardware company: How to get people to keep spending money once they've made the initial investment. The winning formula is subscriptions, which is why you see tiered pricing plans for everything from fitness classes on Peloton to cloud storage from Apple. So, of course, Big Printer is in on the action.
We've been tempted but never tried to use (cheaper) ink from a third party, so I don't know if my workhorse HP 8600 OfficeJet Pro (or my wife's either) have these reputed 'security chips' installed. I do know from bitter experience at several past companies that our HP printers have been far more reliable and dependable than those that places like Stanford have tried for cost reasons. But I bridle (or is it bristle) when someone asserts that the machine is set up to detect 'false ink' whether in fact it is or not. Shades of the Shell gas truck stopping to fill the reservoir at 7-Eleven, but your Shell card doesn't work.
