From Publishers Weekly
Burrows, who reported on the merger of technology rivals Hewlett-Packard and Compaq for Business Week during late 2001 and early 2002, turns the notes from his day job into an uncompromising look at the deal and the woman who set it in motion, HP CEO Carleton Fiorina. Although George Anders's Perfect Enough covers the same territory, this account distinguishes itself with a deeper portrait of Fiorina. Beginning with her childhood as Cary Carleton Sneed, Burrows traces Fiorina's ascent through a second-tier MBA program to early positions at AT&T and Lucent, uncovering former associates who shadow her success story with tales of ruthless ambition and a tendency to abandon ventures before she could be tainted by their failure. Burrows also depicts the discord within HP ranks over Fiorina, whose marketing-honed strategies were seen as a betrayal of the "HP Way," the leadership principles established by the company's founders. Walter Hewlett, the second-generation director whose opposition to the merger intensified the shareholders' vote, gets substantially less play here than in Anders's version, and Burrows is much less accepting of Hewlett's version of events. But his skepticism also applies to HP's enthusiasm for the Compaq deal, which many industry experts scorned as a recipe for disaster. HP executives eventually stopped cooperating with Burrows once they determined they wouldn't be able to spin his reportage, but the book still manages to provide a richly detailed version of the legal wrangling that finally brought the deal to a close. Although the prose is somewhat hurried, the comprehensive and near-instantaneous analysis will impress business readers.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The now-famous garage in Palo Alto, California, where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company, is commonly known as the "birthplace of Silicon Valley." The humble beginnings and camaraderie that "Bill and Dave" had with HP workers formed the basis of what was known as "the HP Way," a noncompetitive, family orientation. This steady-as-she-goes attitude kept the company in consistent double-digit growth for decades. Flash forward to 2002. Both founding members of the company are gone, and son Walter B. Hewlett is suing high-powered CEO Carly Fiorina over her questionable merger with beleaguered Compaq. Fiorina was brought on board to make sweeping changes to the company, not the least of which was eliminating the HP Way. Burrows' narrative follows Fiorina's rocketing career from AT & T through Lucent Technologies through her signing as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and focuses on the controversial merger with Compaq. Bold and brash but completely composed, Fiorina always succeeds in making the big moves and somehow manages to escape responsibility for the collateral damage. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"...Backfire, by BusinessWeek computer editor Peter Burrows...offer fresh insights about the epic battle and about Fiorina's ultimately successful purchase of Compaq." (Business Week, February 17, 2003)

Burrows, who reported on the merger of technology rivals Hewlett-Packard and Compaq for Business Week during late 2001 and early 2002, turns the notes from his day job into an uncompromising look at the deal and the woman who set it in motion, HP CEO Carleton Fiorina. Although George Anders's Perfect Enough (Forecasts, Jan. 20) covers the same territory, this account distinguishes itself with a deeper portrait Fiorina. Beginning with her childhood as Cary Carleton Sneed, Burrows traces Fiorina's ascent through a second-tier MBA program to early positions at AT&T and Lucent, uncovering former associates who shadow her success story with tales of ruthless ambition and a tendency to abandon ventures before she could be tainted by their failure. Burrows also depicts the discord within HP ranks over Fiorina, whose marketing-honed strategies were seen as a betrayal of the "HP Way," the leadership principles establishe d by the company's founders. Walter Hewlett, the second-gene ration director whose opposition to the merger intensified the shareholders' vote, gets substantially less play here than in Anders's version, and Burrows is much less accepting of Hewlett's version of events. But his skepticism also applies to HP's enthusiasm for the Compaq deal, which many industry experts scorned as a recipe for disaster. HP executives eventually stopped cooperating with Burrows once they determined they wouldn't be able to spin his reportage, but the book still manages to provide a richly detailed version of the legal wrangling that finally brought the deal to a close Although the prose is somewhat hurried, the comprehensive and near-instantaneous analysis will impress business readers. Agent, Martha Millard. (Feb.)
Forecast: This book and Perfect Enough have already been getting media coverage and will surely show up in the pages of every business magazine. Those curious enough will buy both books, though our preference lies with Burrows's account. (Publishers Weekly, February 10, 2003)

Backfire: Carly Fiorina's High-Stakes Battle for the Soul of Hewlett-Packard by Peter Burrows:
Suggests Fiorina's three-year tenure has not reversed H-P's decline and intimates H-P culture and traditions have been lost.
Explores Fiorina's personal life (childhood, two marriages) and professional background (specifically her moves at AT&T and Lucent) to identify character traits that drive her business dealings and "let them eat cake" reputation.
Gives ample space to Fiorina's detractors, weighing in with, "There was almost no mention of her relative lack of qualification for the CEO job. Few asked questions about her role at Lucent, which had begun its headlong fall by early 2000."
No other female CEO (and there have been only six CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to date) has elicited such strong positive and negative feedback.
No matter what either camp says about Fiorina, she is clearly poised to make history. (USA Today, February 24, 2003)

"...a good grounding in the background to the company and its key players…an interesting read..." (IT Week/www.vnunet.com, 19 March 2003)

"...a fascinating behind the scenes peek at one of the most powerful IT companies…some useful intelligence for IT managers..." (VNU Net, 19 March 2003)

"...more meaty, more colourful and generally a much more enjoyable read...the book also goes much further..." (Infoconomy, 11 April 2003)

"...riveting, colorful, fast-paced account of the Compaq battle". (New York Times Book Review, May 18, 2003)

"...This gripping, ongoing story includes fascinating personalities and dramatic boardroom and courtroom drama..." (Computer Consultant, April/May 2003)

"paints a nuanced and enlightening portrait of the leader of one of the most important high-tech companies". (The Boston Globe, June 8, 2003)

"...realistic and objective.... Backfire is definitely a must-read for investors, executives..." (The star online, 12 August 2003)


Review
"...Backfire, by BusinessWeek computer editor Peter Burrows...offer fresh insights about the epic battle and about Fiorina's ultimately successful purchase of Compaq." (Business Week, February 17, 2003)

"...account distinguishes itself with a deeper portrait of Fiorina." (Publishers Weekly, February 10, 2003)

"[b]oth book vividly recount the proxy fight and courtroom proceeding that preceded Fiorina's victory." (USA Today, February 24, 2003)

"...a good grounding in the background to the company and its key players…an interesting read..." (IT Week/www.vnunet.com, 19 March 2003)

"...a fascinating behind the scenes peek at one of the most powerful IT companies…some useful intelligence for IT managers..." (VNU Net, 19 March 2003)

"...more meaty, more colourful and generally a much more enjoyable read...the book also goes much further..." (Infoconomy, 11 April 2003)

"...riveting, colorful, fast-paced account of the Compaq battle". (New York Times Book Review, May 18, 2003)

"...This gripping, ongoing story includes fascinating personalities and dramatic boardroom and courtroom drama..." (Computer Consultant, April/May 2003)

"paints a nuanced and enlightening portrait of the leader of one of the most important high-tech companies". (The Boston Globe, June 8, 2003)

"...realistic and objective.... Backfire is definitely a must-read for investors, executives..." (The star online, 12 August 2003)


VNU Net, 19 March 2003
"...a fascinating behind the scenes peek at one of the most powerful IT companies...some useful intelligence for IT managers."


Publishers Weekly, February 10, 2003
"...account distinguishes itself with a deeper portrait of Fiorina."


VNU Net, 19 March 2003
"...a fascinating behind the scenes peek at one of the most powerful IT companies&some useful intelligence for IT managers..."


IT Week/vnunet.com, 19 March 2003
"...a good grounding in the background to the company and its key players…an interesting read..."


VNU Net, 19 March 2003
"...a fascinating behind the scenes peek at one of the most powerful IT companies…some useful intelligence for IT managers..."


Infoconomy, 11 April 2003
"...more meaty, more colourful and generally a much more enjoyable read...the book also goes much further..."


New York Times Book Review, May 18, 2003
"...riveting, colorful, fast-paced account of the Compaq battle".


Book Description
An insider's look at the internal turmoil at one of the world's premier high-tech companies
This is the inside story of Hewlett-Packard Company's struggle to regain its former glory, and of the high-stakes battle between CEO Carly Fiorina and family scion Walter Hewlett over how best to achieve that goal. For decades, HP was admired not only for its innovative products and soaring stock price, but for its egalitarian corporate culture and father-knows-best integrity. Backfire explains how the company fell on hard times, recounts the historic decision that made Fiorina the world's top-ranking female executive, and brings to life the backlash that resulted when she tried to impose her charismatic salesmanship on the aging icon. Top BusinessWeek journalist Peter Burrows gives the dramatic blow-by-blow of Hewlett's effort to kill Fiorina's most controversial move of all, her $19 billion purchase of rival Compaq Computer. Fiorina won by a whisker, after the most expensive proxy fight in history and a dramatic lawsuit that accused the company of illegally fixing the vote. This gripping, ongoing story includes fascinating personalities and dramatic boardroom and courtroom drama.
Peter Burrows (Alameda, CA) has been a technology reporter for BusinessWeek for nine years and has covered the HP saga from the start. The department editor for BusinessWeek's computer coverage, he has been the principal chronicler of Fiorina's tenure at HP, and has written three cover stories on the subject. He has also written numerous other cover stories, including looks at Steve Jobs's Apple Computer and Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy.


Book Info
Carly Fiorina's story as told by Burrows illustrates well the timeless role of leaders; to help organizations work through necessary but painful changes that don't happen naturally.


From the Inside Flap
"In detailing the last hurrah of the ’90s merger mania, Peter Burrows has written what will become a classic read in modern corporate governance. It is the quintessential story of managerial versus shareholder prerogative, superbly related, which will certainly garner a wide popular and scholarly following." –Charles Elson, Director, Center for Corporate Governance, University of Delaware Hewlett-Packard, the venerable computer maker, was seeing hard times for the first time in its six-decade history. In an effort to shake things up, the company brought in an outside CEO–the daring and charismatic Carly Fiorina. Fiorina brought style and new thinking to HP, but she also brought change. Her efforts at rapid reform frequently collided with the familiar "HP Way," the egalitarian corporate culture and integrity that Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard had instilled in the company from its very beginning. Many say her initiatives brought little immediate improvement in the company’s fortunes. Then came the single biggest move that would change HP forever: a proposed merger with Compaq. Rubber-stamped by the board, it seemed the deal would go through without a hitch. But board member and family scion Walter Hewlett saw HP’s merger with Compaq as potentially disastrous. With the board firmly entrenched behind Fiorina, Hewlett faced a stark choice: accept what he knew to be a strategic error, or fight and potentially expose the company to a divisive, destructive public fray. Hewlett chose to fight and what followed was the biggest, most costly proxy battle in American corporate history. Backfire tells the inside story of HP’s struggle to regain its former glory, and of the high-stakes battle between Fiorina and Hewlett over how best to achieve that goal. Top BusinessWeek journalist Peter Burrows presents the controversial and gripping business story behind the epic battle in a tale that reads like a great novel of intrigue. Backfire offers the first blow-by-blow account of the corporate struggle that will eventually decide the fate of two computer-making giants. Burrows uncovers how Fiorina’s greatest victory might lead to her ultimate downfall. With revelations about: Fiorina’s time at Lucent Over-aggressive sales practices that could spell failure The courtroom drama A behind-the-scenes look at what HP doesn’t want you to know


From the Back Cover
"Reading at times like a Clancy novel and at others like a Greek tragedy, Burrows’s Backfire presents a detailed picture of how a leader can rob a company of its soul and cause it to stray from the principles that had made it enduringly great. Read it and weep."–Jerry I. PorrasLane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change Emeritus, Stanford Business School coauthor, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies "Peter Burrows has written a fascinating account of the largest high-tech merger and proxy fight of all time. Riveting stories about Carly Fiorina, Walter Hewlett, and the melodrama in the HP corporate boardroom make this book a great read as well as an object lesson in corporate governance and corporate change."–David B. YoffieStarr Professor of International Business Administration, Harvard Business Schoolauthor, Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors’ Strength to Your Advantage "Carly Fiorina’s story as told by Burrows illustrates well the timeless role of leaders: to help organizations work through necessary but painful changes that don’t happen naturally."–Robert BurgelmanEdmund W. Littlefield Professor of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Businesscoauthor, Strategy Is Destiny: How Strategy-Making Shapes a Company’s Future "A well-researched view inside the controversial management transition at HP. The personality-dominated decision-making process at HP shows us how the power of personalities can override and reshape business legacies. Backfire has all the makings of a modern historical novel."–Regis McKennaauthor, Total Access and Relationship Marketing: Successful Strategies for the Age of the Customer "At a time when corporate governance was a most important issue in American business, the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq produced a proxy battle that should have embarrassed everyone involved. Backfire tells the story in all its gory detail. It is must reading for investors, executives, and anyone who cares about corporate governance."–Roger McNameecofounder, Integral Capital Partners and Silver Lake Partners


About the Author
PETER BURROWS has been a technology journalist for BusinessWeek for nine years, during which time he has written several cover stories on Hewlett-Packard. As the department editor for BusinessWeek’s computer coverage, he has been the principal chronicler of Fiorina’s tenure at Hewlett-Packard.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Carly Fiorina is the bold and unflinching CEO who masterminded HP's $19 billion purchase of archrival Compaq Computer. Fiorina's audacious maneuver was enacted against the active opposition of Walter B. Hewlett, the son of the company co-founder. BusinessWeek's Peter Burrows tells the inside story of a boardroom and courtroom battle that transformed a corporation and American business.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Hewlett-Packard, the venerable computer maker, was seeing hard times for the first time in its six-decade history. In an effort to shake things up, the company brought in an outside CEO - the daring and charismatic Carly Fiorina. Fiorina brought style and new thinking to HP, but she also brought change. Her efforts at rapid reform frequently collided with the familiar "HP Way," the egalitarian corporate culture and integrity that Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard had instilled in the company from its very beginning. Many say her initiatives brought little immediate improvement in the company's fortunes. Then came the single biggest move that would change HP forever: a proposed merger with Compaq. Rubber-stamped by the board, it semed the deal would go through without a hitch. But board member and family scion Walter Hewlett saw HP's merger with Compaq as potentially disastrous." Backfire tells the inside story of HP's struggle to regain its former glory, and of the high-stakes battle between Fiorina and Hewlett over how best to achieve that goal.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

Taken on its own, Backfire is a riveting, colorful, fast-paced account of the Compaq battle. It is informed by a deep empathy for rank-and-file employees and retirees, who felt a profound nostalgia for a simpler era when the founders, ''Dave and Bill,'' could manage the company by just ''walking around.'' — Diana B. Henriques

Publishers Weekly