Hewlett-Packard Biography

Hewlett-Packard

The original Silicon Valley pioneers, the pair used their Stanford degrees to turn their garage-based business into one of the largest computer manufacturing companies in the world. They began by developing specialized measuring devices, eventually producing the hugely popular HP-35, a programmable scientific calculator. During World War II, they begin to design microwave products, beginning with a radar-jamming device. The company continues to grow as its founders articulate a management philosophy that comes to be known as “the HP Way.” The philosophy emphasizes employee empowerment and includes one of the earliest profit-sharing plans. Eventually, the company focuses on desktop and minicomputers, then branches out into printers and other computing devices.

William Hewlett

Founded the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in 1996 as a vehicle for the couple's philanthropic endeavors.

David Packard