resigns

Hurd's double faults leave him out at HP

Mark Hurd shone at Hewlett-Packard because of his reputation as a detail-oriented executive who shunned the spotlight and got results. On Friday, the tech industry learned about a different side of Mark Hurd.

HP's announcement that Hurd had been dismissed following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment that turned up improper relationships and falsified expense reports stunned Silicon Valley, where Hurd was brought from the hinterlands of Ohio in 2005 to restore luster to one of America's most storied technology companies. The former Baylor University tennis star is widely credited with turning around HP's fortunes, bringing … Read more

HP's letter to employees on Hurd resignation

Mark Hurd stepped down as Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO in the wake of the company's investigation into a former HP contractor's claim that she was sexually harassed by him. Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak immediately stepped in as interim CEO.

On Friday afternoon Lesjak sent a memo to company employees explaining the leadership change and going into some detail about the nature of the claim, and the results of the the HP board of directors' investigation. CNET has obtained a copy of that e-mail, which we've posted below in its entirety.

From: Cathie Lesjak, CFO and interim … Read more

HP statement on Hurd resignation

The following are two main excerpts from the press release Hewlett-Packard put out Friday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PDT regarding CEO Mark Hurd's resignation following allegations of sexual harassment:

HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns; CFO Cathie Lesjak appointed interim CEO HP today announced that Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Hurd has decided with the board of directors to resign his positions effective immediately.

The board has appointed CFO Cathie Lesjak, 51, as CEO on an interim basis. Lesjak is a 24-year veteran of the company who has served as HP's CFO and as a … Read more

HP CEO Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation

Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd resigned from the company Friday after HP conducted an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

Hurd's resignation marks a stunning end to what had been by most accounts a wildly successful five years at the helm of what is now the largest computer company in the world, measured by total revenues.

The resignation takes effect immediately. He will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak, who will act in an interim capacity.

HP said its board of directors reached a unanimous decision after Hurd was accused of sexual harassment by a former … Read more

Apotheker resigns as SAP's chief executive

The chief executive officer of SAP, Leo Apotheker, has resigned his post and from the company's board, after the board declined to extend his contract, the business software maker announced Sunday.

The resignation, which was reportedly by mutual decision, is effective immediately.

To replace Apotheker, the SAP's board has appointed co-CEOs: Bill McDermott, head of field organization, and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development.

"The new setup of the SAP executive board will allow SAP to better align product innovation with customer needs," SAP Chairman Hasso Plattner said in a statement. "The new leadership … Read more

Will you, like Sun's CEO, become a Twitter quitter?

For a reason beyond any fathom I can measure, I failed to follow Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz on Twitter. Now I am attempting to kick myself. I am missing.

You see, Schwartz decided that the best way to tell folks that he was leaving Sun-- recently purchased by Oracle seemingly because Larry Ellison still can't find a hostile way to grab the Golden State Warriors by their Nikes--was to confirm rumors of his departure in a tweet.

"Today's my last day at Sun. I'll miss it," he wrote at Twitter.com/OpenJonathan. Then … Read more

The most honest resignation e-mail ever?

Convention has a handshake like the Mafia.

Even when we resign from a job, even when we truly feel the people we worked with were weasels of the worst order, our idea of "the done thing" means we invite everyone for a painful beer in a local bar. We even buy them doughnuts.

Now one brave soul has perhaps not merely flouted convention, but, with one heartfelt e-mail, drop-kicked it to Hades.

According to The Chive.com, the e-mail was written by a senior media planner at a Chicago ad agency (I have a feeling I just might … Read more

The 404 376: Where Natali Del Conte can't get her pinche computer online...AL;DKFJKASF

We invite Natali Del Conte onto today's show to have some fun with us, but you should've been there in the preshow--she went berzerko! We calm her down a little bit and she talks to us about her Palin/Twitter fallout and her upcoming appearance at Comic-Con 2009. She also dispels rumors about drugs in her undergarments, and we get to a few more exciting stories on the show!

If you're wondering why there's a photo of Lara Croft to the left of this paragraph, look again: it's actually Natali Del Conte, host of Loaded on CNETTV. She'll be at this year's Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego, so be sure to look for that soon! We love it when Natali comes on because we always seem to bring out the dirty side of her, or so we think.

Today's show starts off a little rough because Natali just can't seem to get the Wi-Fi in the studio to connect to her computer, so we're warning you to brace yourselves for a classic NDC scream in the beginning of today's show. After that, everything runs smoothly (as smooth as it can get on The 404).

We get to talking about Sarah Palin resigning and the ridiculous speech that sort of made sense, but didn't say anything. I think NDC put it best when she said that the former Governor of Alaska is very good at the art of "saying without saying." We all watched the speech, too, and after several 17-minute viewings, I still have no idea what the heckbeans is going on. I guess she's not so much of a Maverick after all.

The next story in today's show rundown is about the city of Boston launching a complaint-filing iPhone application. Sounds like a disaster waiting to strike, right? I'd have to agree with you. Now that all citizens of Boston have an open forum to complain, I imagine a flood of the most mundane little squawks about graffiti, potholes, smells, street lights, etc...stuff that you normally wouldn't give a **** about.

After we report on the story, we go around the table and list off a few complaints that we have with the city of New York, and if you think Boston is bad, just wait, there are a few good ones in there. Are you listening, New York?

Finally, we want to send our thanks to our pal Daniel for sending us a very kind e-mail with a picture of what he did this weekend. He writes, "Hey Guys, Wanted to let you know that I spent sometime with the 404 and a Becks this weekend. Feel free to post this to the blog or whatever. Really love your show, keep up the work and congrats on the sponsor." Now if that isn't the most ideal way to sponsor a show, I don't know WHAT is! We jest, but we seriously appreciate pictures like these, they make our day. By the way, our new iTunes album art looks GREAT in Cover Flow!

EPISODE 376 Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Facebook CTO to leave company

Facebook Chief Technology Officer Adam D'Angelo is reportedly leaving the company to take some time off, and the social-networking site has apparently confirmed the departure.

D'Angelo, who is 23 and one of the company's early employees, reportedly sent a letter on Friday to Facebook staff about the move. Sources told Kara Swisher of All Things Digital that D'Angelo felt the position no longer fit well with his skills or interests. There have also reportedly been rumors of tension between D'Angelo and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who have known each other since high school.

Zuckerberg moved … Read more