Bill & Dave
"The most momentous first meeting in modern business history took place inthe unlikely setting of a bench beside a football field, between two Stanford University students in pads and helmets. A few years later in 1938, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were working out of a small garage in Palo Alto, California, building their first product, an audio oscillator. It was the start not only of a legendary company but of an entire way of life in Silicon Valley - and, ultimately, our modern digital age." "Others have written about the rise of Hewlett-Packard, including Packard himself in a bestselling memoir. But acclaimed journalist Michael S. Malone is the first to get the full story, based on unlimited and exclusive access to corporate and private archives, along with hundreds of employee interviews. Malone draws on his new material to show how some of the most influential products of our time were invented, and how a culture of innovation led HP to unparalleled success for decades." "He also shows what was really behind the groundbreaking management philosophy - "the HP Way" - that put people ahead of products or profits. There have been attempts in recent years to discredit the HP Way as soft and outdated. But Malone argues that the HP Way was a hard-nosed business philosophy that combined simple objectives, trust in employees to make the right choices, and ruthless self-appraisal.
Stats for nerds
5recommend
9mentions
7people
2008–2024years
78% recommend22% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- In doing my research on current books, I checked out a few from the library that were really good and definitely HN-worthy:
Bill and Dave (Michael Malone). The history of Hewlett-Packard.
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes (Travis Baldree)
Hitch-22 (Christopher Hitchens). his memoir
- Oh I loved Infinite Loop by Malone. Bill and Dave sounds like an insta-checkout for me.
- Read: "Bill & Dave" by Michael Malone.
Agilent took the heart & soul of HP. Then it split further (Keysight et al)
HP took the printers, which at least used to be a good business.
HPE is the wretched refuse that's left.
- I nearly went to IBM. Fortunately I didn't. Their program for plant visits was the best of any of the companies I interviewed with: at the end of the day, they asked me to estimate all my expenses, and then they handed me an envelope of cash.
Another legacy company book HN'ers would really like for a Christmas gift is "Bill & Dave"
https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Dave-Hewlett-Packard-Greatest/dp...
the author is an unabashed fanboy, and the history ends with Mark Hurd before he imploded. Still, it's a great history of a (formerly) great company.
- For those who want to relive the HP Way or learn about it for the first time, I highly recommend:
"Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company" by Michael S. Malone
https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Dave-Hewlett-Packard-Greatest/dp...
- Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company - Michael Malone : One of the first Silicon Valley start-ups which grew to incomparable heights through the management style of its two founders. Unfortunately, the lessons they taught are being ignored in today's Quick Buck environment.
