back to article Former HP boss Patricia Dunn dies at 58

Patricia Dunn, former chairman of HP, died on Sunday at the age of 58 after a long fight with cancer. Dunn was appointed to the top job at HP in 2005 after joining the board in 1998. She lasted barely a year before being forced out and charged with hiring a team of private investigators to tap the phones of journalists and …

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  1. Vendicar Decarian1
    Boffin

    What is HP?

    Isn't it some kind of steak sauce?

    1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

      in any other article this comment might have been funny, in an obituary it is somewhat misplaced.

  2. Hollerith 1

    No better or worse than her peers

    Al the head honchos of big business are dirty in some way -- it comes with the territory. I suspect her battle to rise in the ranks, coming from behind as she did, gave her a touch or paranoia or a sense of righteousness, and so she was led into poor judgements. But 58 is young and cancer is not a nice way to go, so I can only feel sorry for her. Not the way anyone would like the arc of their life to bend.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ahh. That explains it

    I always wondered why in 2005, Barclays suddenly switched from having IBM as the preferred supplier for midrange systems to HP, even though HP did not really have anything to offer that fit Barclay's requirements.

    HP also became the maintenance partner, at least until they proved that they were not as good as IBM at looking after IBM kit.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's sad she died so young and also that her career ended the way it did. There's a book, "The Big Lie", which investigates the back story of the pretexting episode and suggests Dunne was stitched up. Ray Lane, the current Chairman of HP, worked for the venture capitalist firm founded by Tom Perkins, who was one of the HP directors who resigned. Not sure what to make of that really, but, possibly, it ain't over yet.

    1. Tom 13

      Any good scam needs a pattsie to take the fall.

      Unfortunately, all too often it is easier to setup an innocent person than someone who is crooked. And once they've been setup, it's damned hard to sort out the truth, because the liars claim the same things the innocents truly report.

      May she rest in peace knowing the justice and mercy of the all-knowing God who can actually sort such things out.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ding dong...

    The ex-CEO is dead.

    Sometimes obituaries are a sign of interesting things to come, but in this case she can rest undisturbed as all the dirt has been dished. Any HPers want to come forward with messages of condolence?

    Thought not.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Whatever people may think of her conduct...

    ... dying of liver cancer is a horrible way to go. I wouldn't wish it on anyone and 58 is a very young age to die. I suppose she achieved more in those 58 years than a lot of us will however.

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