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?
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