The HP Story

Founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1938, two friends from Stanford University who wanted to turn their passion for electronics into a business venture. Their first product was an audio oscillator based on Hewlett's university thesis. One of their first customers was Walt Disney who needed an amplified and dramatic score for the film Fantasia. HP was well placed for an epic and monumental expansion in the 1950s and 1960s as consumer spending on new technology boomed. The company developed revolutionary gadgets such as high-speed frequency counters, the atomic clock and business and scientific calculators. 'The HP way' was a revolutionary management style that broke down traditional and rigid hierarchical barriers, making HP one of the most desirable employer in the US. At present, HP Inc. focusses on personal tech such as printers and laptops while HP enterprise technology, now a separate business, continues to develop the innovative infrastructure and software that epitomized the ethos of Bill and Dave. Dave Packard's garage, where the first audio oscillator was build is recognized as the 'Birthplace of Silicon Valley', and is a 'California Historical Landmark'.