Wozniak on HP Employee Treatment | Generated by AI
Question: How nicely does HP Inc. treat its employees, as Steve Wozniak once mentioned?
Answer:
Steve Wozniak (Woz) has spoken positively about his time at Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the 1970s, before he co-founded Apple. He described HP as treating engineers very well and viewed it as “the best company” for engineers at the time. He saw it as his dream job and planned to stay there for life due to its supportive environment for technical staff. Woz has credited HP’s culture with influencing ideas like profit-sharing and employee stock ownership, which he later applied at Apple (e.g., sharing stock with early contributors). He highlighted traditions such as profit distribution to employees and a general sense that the company valued and respected its people, including perks and a family-like approach in the classic “HP Way” era.
Note that this refers to the original Hewlett-Packard in the 1970s, famous for its innovative and employee-friendly culture under founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The modern HP Inc. (the PC and printer business after the 2015 split from Hewlett Packard Enterprise) is a different entity from that historical HP.
For current HP Inc. (as of recent data around 2024–2025):
- Glassdoor ratings average around 4.0 out of 5 stars, with about 77–78% of employees recommending it to a friend.
- Work-life balance is rated highly (around 4.1/5).
- Great Place to Work certification shows 84% of employees consider it a great place to work (compared to 57% at typical U.S. companies), with strong marks for feeling welcome, cared for, and supported.
- Positive aspects often include culture, values, and some benefits, but reviews also mention challenges like bureaucracy, occasional layoffs, focus on short-term financials, and varying experiences by role or location (some report toxicity or uncertainty in certain teams).
Overall, Wozniak’s mentions reflect a highly positive view of the historical HP’s treatment of employees (especially engineers), which was influential in Silicon Valley. Today’s HP Inc. earns generally solid but mixed employee feedback—better than average in many surveys, though not without criticisms common in large tech/hardware companies.
References:
- http://www.foundersatwork.com/stevewozniak.html
- https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/1000114
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/HP-Inc-Reviews-E1093161.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak (context on his HP employment)