The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
, subject: Hewlett-Packard company principles and philosophy., 1995
A founder’s account of company building that tests ambitious growth against the risks of overexpansion and aggressive financing.
About the book
Packard describes starting in a Palo Alto garage with an audio oscillator built and painted by hand, and the convictions the founders held: give responsibility to the level where it is exercised most effectively, involve managers in setting their own objectives, and trust people. He also passes on an old engineer's warning that more businesses die from overeating than from starvation.
Why read it
Best if you are building or studying a company and want a founder’s account of pay-as-you-go growth, customer-centered purpose, and the self-reliant teammates a founder should hire.
Key themes
- Growth without financial indigestion
- Customer purpose and differentiation
- Self-reliance and maverick teammates
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #29, #54, #83, #127, #291
The host explicitly recommends The HP Way, framing a reading of the prologue as an introduction to why the book is worth reading.
- The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company — This episode is dedicated to David Packard's The HP Way, with the host reading and discussing extended highlights throughout the episode.
- The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt — With The HP Way in hand, David uses Hewlett and Packard as a rare example of a durable equal founding partnership.
- Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World — David mentions he previously read The HP Way and made a Founders episode about it, connecting Hewlett and Packard's principles to Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse's mindset.
- Larry Ellison (Oracle) — Senra references his earlier podcast coverage of The HP Way by David Packard while contrasting HP's founding values with Oracle's win-at-all-costs culture.
- David Packard (Founder of HP) — David explicitly names The HP Way as the autobiography this episode covers.