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| Former HP CEO Mark Hurd |
Tech heavyweight Hewlett-Packard is shopping for a new CEO after Mark Hurd, widely credited with both its turnaround and its massive push into IT services, resigned unexpectedly today following the results of a sexual harassment investigation.
While HP is remaining mum on the exact details of the harassment claims, the contractor involved, or the terms of its parting ways with Hurd, it isn’t staying quiet about the fact that it sees little changing for the worse — key to ensuring that customers, shareholders and partners aren’t spooked by Hurd’s sudden departure from HP.
Instead, HP seized the moment to release impressive third-quarter preliminary earnings figures and gave a rosy outlook for the rest of the year. Datamation has the story.
In a stunning announcement, HP today said Mark Hurd, its chairman, CEO and president, has resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment investigation.
HP (NYSE: HPQ) said Hurd’s decision came about following an investigation by its own lawyers and outside legal counsel into a sexual harassment claim made against Hurd and HP by a former HP contractor. Michael Holston, the company’s general counsel, said that the investigation turned up a number of expense reports designed to conceal the relationship between Hurd and the contractor.
