HP is still giving old style "ignore and evade" a go: Don Tennant of ComputerWorld reports from the HP Technology Forum event in Houston:

When Hurd concluded his remarks, he said he was going to take some questions. But rather than giving the audience the opportunity to use those microphones, he welcomed Novia back onto the stage. Novia held several cards with questions that he claimed came “from our crowd.” That struck me as odd, because I had arrived at the session fairly early, and I never saw anyone passing out or collecting any question cards.

The four softball questions couldn’t have been any more lame or self-serving. They asked about the significance of HP’s Mercury acquisition, how HP differentiates itself from its competitors, how Hurd sees HP Services going forward, and how the rest of the company is uniting behind the sales force.

Tennant goes on to say that Hurd avoided all media contacts as he made a quick exit (with PR/security people used as blockers), and that he couldn't get a straight answer as to the source of the problem by press time.

The blogosphere seems to have let this story go, so I'm pleased to see ComputerWorld is still on it. A few scapegoats have been named (and taken out behind the woodshed), but Hurd's reactions indicate that the rot went all the way to the top. I hope Tennant stays with this story.

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