HP Decimating Workforce

By Geoff Duncan July 19, 2005

Hewlett-Packard has announced it plans to cut 14,500 jobs from its worldwide workforce over the next 18 months. The cuts would come mainly from the company’s support functions including information technology, finance, and human resources, although cuts are expected to extend to HP’s core business units which develop printers, servers, software, and PCs.

The move is the first major play by new HP CEO Mark Hurd as he tries to trim nearly $2 billion a year in costs, making the company compete more directly with other technology companies like Dell. The job cuts are the largest since former HP CEO Carly Fiorina terminated thousands of positions following HP’s 2002 acquisition of rival Compaq Computer. Fiorina, formerly one the most visible female executives in American industry, was ousted in February 2002. Hurd came to HP from NCR Corporation and took over as CEO on April 1.

In May, HP cut jobs in its printing and imaging business units, with roughly 2,000 workers accepting voluntary severance offers.

HP says the new job cuts will save between $900 million and $1.05 billion in its 2006 fiscal year, and produce an ongoing annual savings of $1.9 billion beginning in fiscal 2007, including $300 million in benefits savings and $1.6 billion in up-front labor costs.

"Decimate" means to reduce to reduce by one tenth; when a Roman legion or regiment displayed cowardice in battle, one soldier in ten would be chosen by lot and executed.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

This HP gaming laptop is only $700 for Memorial Day weekend

HP Victus placed outside while displaying an attractive background.

If you're going to pick up a new gaming laptop, then you may want to opt for one of the best laptop brands on the market, and with names like Alienware and Lenovo in the mix, there's quite the competition. That said, HP makes some great gaming laptops as well, and if you're looking to upgrade or buy something new, this early Memorial Day sale on the Victus 15 is worth considering, especially with the sort of specs you get under the hood. While this configuration usually goes for $1,000, HP has discounted it down to just $700, so you save yourself an extra $300 with this deal.

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15
One of the most important things when it comes to any gaming computer is the GPU, and we're happy to report that this HP Victus 15 comes with an RTX 3050, which is a solid entry-level GPU that's good for casual, indie, and older games. That said, you can do an upgrade to an RTX 4050 for an extra $90, which we'd strongly suggest since it gives you a bit more power, plus access to DLS 3, a tech that some games have implemented to get smoother framerates. Another thing we'd probably suggest as a must-have upgrade is going from the base 8GB to 16GB, and at $70, it's well worth it in the long run for a higher quality of life.

Computing

Save $320 on HP’s flagship Spectre x360 laptop this weekend

HP Spectre x360 14 2023 top down view showing speaker.

While a lot of folks may not prefer 14-inch laptops due to the screen size, it's hard to deny the usefulness of a smaller and more portable form factor. As such, if you want to pick one up from one of the best laptop brands on the market, this HP Spectre X360 14 is perfect. Not only that, but there is a great early Memorial Day deal this weekend that knocks the price down to $1,330 from the original $1650, which saves you a considerable $320 in the process.

Why you should buy the HP Spectre x360 14
Probably one of the most impressive things about the HP Spectre x360 14 is the fact that it comes with a 2.8K OLED panel, which makes it absolutely gorgeous and great to look at for long periods, which is important if you spend most of your day on a laptop. On top of that, as a 2-in-1 laptop it can easily be converted to function as a tablet, and since it's not too big, that means you can hold it for longer without getting tired. You also get a pen included, and the experience is pretty good; although it may not compete with something like the Apple Pencil 2 in how good it is for creativity tasks, it's great to have nonetheless for the tablet mode.

Computing

HP’s answer to Apple’s iMac is discounted from to $450 this weekend

A man does creative work at the HP 27-inch all-in-one PC.

If you don't really have the space to fit a whole desktop computer, then you may want to consider going for an all-in-one (AIO) solution; it will save you a ton of space, plus you don't have to go out and buy each part individually. Luckily, there are some great early Memorial Day deals on AIO solutions you can take advantage of, such as this deal on the HP All-in-One 27, which usually goes for $850 but has been discounted down to just $450. That makes it an excellent budget pick if you just want something for the basics and don't expect to do any complex tasks on it, like graphical rendering.

Why you should buy the HP All-in-One 27
While the HP All-in-One 27 might not be as powerful as an iMac, it does have similar dimensions, with a large 27-inch screen and a surprisingly tiny bezel, which is actually a bit smaller than the iMac's.The screen runs a 1920 x 1080 resolution and can hit a peak brightness of 300 nits, which will be fine for a well-lit room, and you can upgrade it to a touch version for $200, but it's probably not worth it in the long run. Under the hood, you'll find an Intel Core i3-1315U, an entry-level CPU that should handle most basic tasks just fine, although we'd probably suggest upgrading to the Intel Core i5-1335U for an extra $125, which will give you a lot more versatility and quality of life.