Tragedy..for some
The problem with these mega companies is that no-one wants to do the hard, years-long work of re-orienting an organization, so they are susceptible to "magical pill" thinking.
"If we just focus on services, we'll be fine"
"If we buy company X, we'll be fine"
"If we split half the company off, we'll be fine"
etc.
Each time one of these pills is taken, chaos ensues as the organization tries to swallow and digest it. There is inevitably some collateral damage. To make matters worse, the faction that did like a particular pill and the faction that support it end up fighting for board supremacy, resulting in confusion and depression amongst the line staff and eventual failure.
After a number of (failed) magic pills, sometimes the best thing is to break the company into pieces and sell it off. I think this is what MW's end game is, and although it is sad to see HP end up like this, I think it is probably the best course of action right now. I don't blame MW for this. I blame a series of hopeless predecessors.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
