Backfire

An insider's look at the internal turmoil at one of the world'spremier high-tech companies This is the inside story of Hewlett-Packard Company's struggle toregain its former glory, and of the high-stakes battle between CEOCarly Fiorina and family scion Walter Hewlett over how best toachieve that goal. For decades, HP was admired not only for itsinnovative products and soaring stock price, but for itsegalitarian corporate culture and father-knows-best integrity. Backfire explains how the company fell on hard times, recounts thehistoric decision that made Fiorina the world's top-ranking femaleexecutive, and brings to life the backlash that resulted when shetried to impose her charismatic salesmanship on the aging icon. TopBusinessWeek journalist Peter Burrows gives the dramaticblow-by-blow of Hewlett's effort to kill Fiorina's mostcontroversial move of all, her $19 billion purchase of rival CompaqComputer. Fiorina won by a whisker, after the most expensive proxyfight in history and a dramatic lawsuit that accused the company ofillegally fixing the vote. This gripping, ongoing story includesfascinating personalities and dramatic boardroom and courtroomdrama. Peter Burrows (Alameda, CA) has been a technology reporter forBusinessWeek for nine years and has covered the HP saga from thestart. The department editor for BusinessWeek's computer coverage, he has been the principal chronicler of Fiorina's tenure at HP, andhas written three cover stories on the subject. He has also writtennumerous other cover stories, including looks at Steve Jobs's AppleComputer and Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy.