Hewlett-Packard is now the biggest information technology company in the world, having surpassed both the $100 billion mark and IBM. How did it get there, over a period of time when so many promising companies fell apart? That’s the topic of Michael S. Malone’s new book, Bill and Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World’s Greatest Company. We talk with Malone about the role of old-fashioned values in surviving new-era corporate challenges, and the difficulties that HP has had in sticking to its approach as times change. It’s a very interesting story, underscoring the fact that the most important part of every technology story involves the people behind the technology.

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And Bill & Dave is an excellent book, which I highly recommend.

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