HP's Huge Salary Cuts Forcing Out Old EDS Employees

This is an ideal time for me to post my recent blog post...

"The Grad from HP"

I remember, in my first year at University, I went to a talk in the business school, where a guy, a graduate from this University who was giving a talk to us, told us he had got a job (management I think) with HP after graduating. All well and good, until...

He pointed to a chart, and said HP has profits of 60 billion dollars.

Profits? Shouldn't that be revenues? Is this guy barely competent?

It was then that I realised why the world of technology is so fucked up - it's suit guys like this guy, who don't know a damn thing!

Gotta wonder what HP's thinking here. Laying people off is one thing, but you can do it cleanly. Put together a decent severance package, ask for volunteers, it's all over and you can draw a line under it (until next time, anyway, but even so: if people know they'll be looked after, the organization copes). I don't see EDS recovering from this.

The execs at HP think that you should run a technology company like you would a WalMart.

They'll get some short term profits with their cost cutting but the revenue is dropping with it.

Well, these EDS old-timers can always look elsewhere for more pay. They're not slaves, you know?

My guess is that they're lucky to have their jobs at all, given current economic circumstances.

It makes more sense to slash salaries than to lay people off. Sure it blows, but if you can't find a job anywhere else, it's because the economy thinks you are no longer worth what you were paid.