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Princess Fiorina addresses subjects

She did it HP Way

Memowatch Not to be outdone by Don Capellas, Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina has sent out a message to Compaq employees after today's announcement of plans to merge the IT giants.

The memo, which at 630 words is a third the size of the Capellas missive, shows that Carly is already on first name terms with potential staffers. In tone, the memo is pretty touch feely and talks a lot about the "HP Way".

Difficult questions about who's likely to lose their jobs, product overlap and positioning are left for another day...

From: Hewlett-Packard Chairman & CEO - Carly Fiorina
Sent: September 4 2001
Subject: Message to Compaq employees

Dear Compaq colleagues,

Today is clearly a history-making day for our companies, for our customers, and for our industry, but I recognize that it is also a day filled with emotion for the people of Compaq and HP. Any time two competitors come together and decide to merge into one company -- some combination of surprise, fear, nostalgia, and optimism are natural.

I want to personally reach out to you to share my enthusiasm for combining all that's great about Compaq with all that's great about HP to build a new kind of technology industry leader.

I have deep respect for Compaq -- for your entrepreneurial spirit, your tenacity, your resilience, your drive, your commitment to customers, your engineering prowess, and also for your commitment to community. These attributes will be the foundation on which we build the new HP.

You should know that I also have deep respect for Michael and the management team at Compaq for all you've accomplished in your own transformation. Michael and I share a common vision of the role of technology in business and society. In combining our two companies, we're dramatically improving our ability to execute on our visions and strategies with the industry's most comprehensive set of offerings for consumers, small and medium businesses, and large enterprises.

As we combine the two companies, the essential ingredient to our success will be in fusing our two cultures. So, perhaps, you're wondering what is HP all about? What is the mythic HP Way? How do I know I want to be part of a company with such a strong culture?

The HP Way starts with Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. When Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard set up shop in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California, it was not to build an empire or a fortune. It was to do one simple, irrepressibly human thing: Invent. With a goal of fueling invention, they set out to build a culture that was defined by a set of core values:

- Respect for the individual
- Teamwork
- Integrity
- Contribution to customers and the community
- Innovation

And a set of corporate objectives:

- Profit
- Customers
- Fields of interest
- Growth
- Our people
- Management
- And citizenship

These values and objectives are the foundation of the legendary HP Way. They remain central to our interactions with colleagues, customers, and partners. From what I've seen and heard, these values and objectives may actually feel familiar to you.

I believe that together with the people of Compaq, we will actually build a new HP and a new HP Way -- drawing on the best attributes of both cultures. Think of the power in that combination.

We're building a company that is not only committed to doing well, but it is committed to doing good. A company that believes technology and its benefits should be accessible to all. A company that puts customers first. A company renowned for world-class engineering. And ours will be the only technology company in the world with the customer base, market presence, and solutions breadth to do it. This merger represents an unprecedented opportunity for us to step up on a world stage and redefine an industry and the role of technology in business, society, and daily life.

Around here, many of us have posters in our offices that describe what we call The Rules of the Garage -- a set of aspirations that we believe guide the actions of all great inventors and innovators. They are especially appropriate on this day. They start with "Believe you can change the world." And, they close with "Believe that together we can do anything."

I believe we will change the world. And I believe together we can do anything.

Warm regards,

Carly ®

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