Hewlett-Packard

This article is about the original company that existed from 1939 to 2015. For the current companies since 2015, see HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Hewlett-Packard Company
Company typePublic
  • NYSE: HWP (1961–2002)[1]
    NYSE: HPQ (2002–2015)
  • S&P 100 component (until 2015)
  • S&P 500 component (1962–2015)
  • DJIA component (1997–2013)
Industry
FoundedJuly 2, 1939 (1939-07-02)
Founders
DefunctNovember 1, 2015 (2015-11-01)
FateSplit into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Successors
  • HP Inc. (legal successor)
  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • DXC Technology
  • Micro Focus
  • Agilent Technologies
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
37°24′49″N 122°08′42″W / 37.4136°N 122.1451°W / 37.4136; -122.1451
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsList of Hewlett-Packard products
Revenue2,000,000,000 United States dollar (2015) 
SubsidiariesList of subsidiaries

The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard (/ˈhjuːlɪt ˈpækərd/ HEW-lit PAK-ərd) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California, where the company would remain headquartered for the remainder of its lifetime. This HP Garage is now a designated landmark, with a plaque calling it the "Birthplace of 'Silicon Valley'". HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components, as well as software and related services, to consumers, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and fairly large companies, including customers in government sectors, until the company officially split into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. in 2015.

HP initially produced a line of electronic test and measurement equipment. It won its first big contract in 1938 to provide the HP 200B, a variation of its first product, the HP 200A low-distortion frequency oscillator,[2] for Walt Disney's production of the 1940 animated film Fantasia, which allowed Hewlett and Packard to formally establish the Hewlett-Packard Company on July 2, 1939.[3] The company grew into a multinational corporation widely respected for its products. HP was the world's leading PC manufacturer from 2007 until the second quarter of 2013 when Lenovo moved ahead of HP.[4][5][6] HP specialized in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware, designing software, and delivering services. Major product lines included personal computing devices, enterprise and industry standard servers, related storage devices, networking products, software, and a range of printers and other imaging products. The company directly marketed its products to households, small- to medium-sized businesses, and enterprises, as well as via online distribution, consumer-electronics, and office-supply retailers, software partners, and major technology vendors. It also offered services and a consulting business for its products and partner products.

In 1999, HP spun off its electronic and bio-analytical test and measurement instruments business into Agilent Technologies; HP retained focus on its later products, including computers and printers. It merged with Compaq in 2002 in what was then a major deal within the industry.[7] They made numerous other acquisitions including Electronic Data Systems in 2008, which led to combined revenues of $118.4 billion that year and a Fortune 500 ranking of 9 in 2009, and later 3Com,[8][9] Palm, Inc.,[10] and 3PAR, all in 2010,[11] followed by Autonomy Corp.[12] However, as a result of the turmoil created by several of these acquisitions, the company's fortunes swiftly declined in the 2010s.[13][14] This led to Hewlett-Packard Company's split into two separate companies on November 1, 2015: its enterprise products and services business were spun-off to form Hewlett Packard Enterprise, while its personal computer and printer businesses became HP Inc. The split was structured so that the former Hewlett-Packard Company would change its name to HP Inc. and spin off Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a newly created company. HP Inc. retained the old Hewlett-Packard's stock-price history and original NYSE ticker symbol; Hewlett Packard Enterprise trades under its own ticker symbol: HPE.[15][16]

  1. ^ "History". hp.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 1997. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  2. ^ "History and Facts: The beginning". www.hpmemoryproject.org. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Innovation Gallery - Model 200B Audio Oscillator, 1939". Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Kobie, Nicole (January 14, 2013). "HP regains PC lead over Lenovo". PC Pro. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "Walter Hewlett files proxy opposing merger". Computerworld. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  6. ^ "Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 1 Percent in Fourth Quarter of 2014" (Press release). Gartner. January 12, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Wright, Rob. "The HP-Compaq Merger: Partners Reflect 10 Years Later | CRN". www.crn.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Chris (April 15, 2010). "HP's acquisitions cement company's No. 1 status". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "HP Completes Acquisition of 3Com Corporation, Accelerates Converged Infrastructure Strategy" (Press release). Hewlett-Packard. April 12, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Vance, Ashlee; Wortham, Jenna (April 28, 2010). "H.P. to Pay $1.2 billion for Palm". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Dell gives up bidding war for 3Par Inc". Winston-Salem Journal. Associated Press. September 3, 2010. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  12. ^ Cohan, Peter. "Six Autonomy Red Flags That HP Missed". Forbes. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  13. ^ "Hewlett-Packard to cut up to 30,000 jobs as it plans split". BBC News. September 15, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  14. ^ Hardy, Quentin (May 17, 2012). "Hewlett-Packard to Cut 30,000 Jobs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  15. ^ Mukherjee, Supantha; Chan, Edwin (October 6, 2014). "Hewlett-Packard to split into two public companies, lay off 5,000". Reuters. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  16. ^ Darrow, Barb (October 30, 2015). "Bye-bye HP, it's the end of an era". Fortune Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
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