Thread regarding Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) layoffs

HPE could be cool

I think Meg sees the potential in HPE and has made cool acquisitions, but the leftover boomers are not helping things. It's just a different world. The boomers add value from an SA perspective, but working with people who don't have excel skills, didn't grow up with computers, can't get Skype to work, don't like to text or IM, still like to leave voicemails, won't bend the rules to help a customer out... Won't spend a dime today to make a dollar tomorrow... Won't let us hunt for new business because they are too worried about "account managing" the business from the past... The fact that we don't have a rich CRM or accurate historic sales data... These are all problems that are due to lack of internal technology adoption.

by
| 2722 views | | 18 replies (last September 3, 2017) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+P1YXqHw

18 replies (most recent on top)

#GOLD Turd

The boomers add value from an SA perspective, but working with people who don't have excel skills, didn't grow up with computers, can't get Skype to work, don't like to text or IM, still like to leave voicemails, won't bend the rules to help a customer out... Won't spend a dime today to make a dollar tomorrow... Won't let us hunt for new business because they are too worried about "account managing" the business from the past...

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @4tjo+P1YXqHw

Talk about boomers. I grew up in an era where if you walked around with a slide rule hooked to your belt people thought of you as having descended from Mt. Olympus.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3jep+P1YXqHw

I wonder if the OP is a HR troll posing as a millennial or is a real millennial (or gen-x or gen-y or gen-z). But regardless, if this is the kind of people HPE is hiring, it is doomed to become a irrelevant company in the years ahead.

I should add that some of the millennials I see around are hardworking, intelligent and smart. Let us hope those types outnumber the misguided kind such as the OP.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3tcj+P1YXqHw

"but working with people who don't have excel skills, didn't grow up with computers, can't get Skype to work, don't like to text or IM, still like to leave voicemails"

Kind of sad that you think that these are hi-tech skills.... texting??? I'd probably be more inclined to include: 1) linux 2) Python and or Java and or C++ etc 3) Puppet, Chef, Ansible 4) ELK stack. Those are tools that this boomer uses regularly. Note, posting on facebook isn't really in that same class, nor is staring, in a hypnotized way, into your cell phone. Signed, a boomer who grew up with computers starting in junior high.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3snh+P1YXqHw

Boomers don't need calculators, either. In the olden days, we weren't allowed to use them so we learned to do the math the old fashioned way.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3env+P1YXqHw

LOL CONWAY

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3bvz+P1YXqHw

I really don't think it's about the "old people" who haven't caught up with the latest technology still working in a technology company. That's a rather broad brush to paint. They may not have good excel, texting, IM skills, but they might be able to design some high-tech memory technology or write some awesome firmware many excel users can't.

I think what's really happening is the morale and brain drain going on at HPE as well as bad execution from our executives and board. I mean, who feels empowered to work at their best when you're always worried about whether you have a job tomorrow? HPE may have made lots of cool acquisitions, but what happened to them afterwards? We either bought a company and made some layoffs, or made some layoffs before we had spinoffs, or layoffs after we spunoff as well as wasting billions on things that became worthless (3Com, Palm, Autonomy...) due to executive short-term thinking.

Many really good people were either let go because of the bean-counting from management or left on their own volition, tired of the molasses that slowed them down at HPE. The true visionaries with strong skills and direction leave HPE because there's too much penny pinching, too much politics, and not enough inventing new stuff or getting things done. What's left when all the skilled and experienced people leave HPE on their own? People with weaker skills who might have a harder time finding a job are left behind to run things. What does HPE do to fill that void? Inexperienced cheap straight-out-of-college hires from the lowest-cost geographies. Are you going to attract top talent that way? How do employees feel when they know this? And the death spiral continues.

This is HPE.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @3dne+P1YXqHw

Most boomers can do what'cha do....with the depth of experience to boot. Now go on back to mama's basement and fire up your game.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @2scm+P1YXqHw

Lots of useless SVPs, VPs and directors.

Cut them out!!!!! Hire more real engineers and marketers locally.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1ynu+P1YXqHw

"to be acquired by another company (Dell, Cisco, any bets?)"

Foxconn - cut out the middle man.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1nlw+P1YXqHw

The typical oooh woes me millennial rant.. Always worth a chuckle as I guess I'm an "old fart" <55.

"When these 'tools' break, youngsters wring their hands and wander aimlessly until someone fixes the problem."

or stare at their mobile phone, head down looking for a solution to be texted to them. Seriously the industry and technology they so relish was build by the "old farts" and they don't know everything.. Haven't been alive long enough. I interview these donkeys daily.. seriously mommy ain't gonna fix your problem.. you are.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1aoi+P1YXqHw

The problem with the boomers who are left at HPE is that they have floated to the top of the septic tank with their survival skills which have nothing to do with the job and everything to do with keeping a low profile and getting as little as possible done (think of Wally in Dilbert cartoons). For a lot of the rest of us boomers we've been able to take the extensive skills we developed at HP to other places and are having great success. So while I agree with your analysis of the remaining boomers one has to wonder why the grossly incompetent management has let that happen. Starting with Carly it's been a downhill trip to irrelevancy. Some of us boomers wanted the company to get into information appliances (smartphones) before Apple (how many billions have they made from that). When Carly killed that to buy Compaq the exit migration began. It takes quite a long time to kill a company that was as great as HP in 2000 but that's now all but done except for a few death rattles.

When the phrase "your program is critical to the future of the company" became the indication that it was time to look for a job it was pretty much all over. The HP Cloud was a good example of the best that they can do these days ..... sad.

One has to wonder why anyone left would whine about it and not just move on.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1suw+P1YXqHw

If Cisco buys it, the millennial trolls such as the OP will find out what real work is. They can't sit around and play video games and watch you tube while at work. Cisco will make them work 12 hours a day every day.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1xcq+P1YXqHw

Indeed a troll posted this message. Meg does not see any potential at HPE anymore. Employees lost her faith on her, and clearly now she lost the support from the shareholders. She is ready to jump ship:

"HPE boss Meg Whitman re-entered the race to become Uber's CEO at the eleventh hour — but lost out anyway" http://www.businessinsider.com/hpe-ceo-meg-whitman-actually-did-want-to-be-ubers-next-chief-2017-8

Unfortunately not very encouraging for the future of the company.

And after all the never-ending splits and separations that she started, now one more distraction - selecting a new CEO after Meg quits (or get kicked out).

HPE does not deserve all bad CEOs from the last almost 2 decades (starting with Carly then going downhill). Perhaps the BOARD should be blamed by their incompetence in properly selecting a competent CEO. Unfortunately I believe this is too late, HPE is downhill on a route that leads only one possible end: to be acquired by another company (Dell, Cisco, any bets?)

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1gmw+P1YXqHw

Troll. Meg will be gone by the end of the year:

“The public revelation that HPE boss Meg Whitman was in the running for the Uber CEO job means her tenure at the vendor will soon end, one analyst suggests.” https://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/3016402/hpes-whitman-gone-by-the-end-of-the-year

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1zzc+P1YXqHw

Nice rant on Boomers, Junior. But your observations are far from universal. Born in the 50's and been here since I was 19. Kept up with technology and trends and am quite proficient with all you listed... and more. When these 'tools' break, youngsters wring their hands and wander aimlessly until someone fixes the problem. Boomers grab a telephone, a pencil and a notepad and get it done.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1yuq+P1YXqHw

You're a really good troll because everything you said is true.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1esq+P1YXqHw

This will end well

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1roj+P1YXqHw

Post a reply

: