49天毁掉12亿美元，前HP CTO揭秘HP当年错失移动时代的真相

Core Insights - The article discusses the failure of HP's WebOS project, which was acquired from Palm for $1.2 billion, and how it was abruptly terminated just 49 days after the launch of the TouchPad tablet [1][2][3] Group 1: Acquisition and Initial Optimism - HP acquired Palm in 2010, believing that WebOS had the potential to be a leading mobile platform due to its advanced multitasking capabilities and elegant UI design [4][5] - The acquisition was seen as a strategic move to secure a foothold in the mobile computing market, which was shifting away from traditional PCs [4][5] Group 2: Leadership Changes and Strategic Shift - Following the acquisition, HP's CEO Mark Hurd resigned, and Leo Apotheker took over, who had a radically different vision for the company, focusing on software and services rather than hardware [7][8] - Apotheker viewed WebOS as a burden and aimed to pivot HP away from its traditional hardware business, which included the TouchPad [7][8] Group 3: Project Collapse and Decision-Making Failures - The TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, but failed to gain traction, selling only 25,000 units out of 270,000 shipped, while Apple sold 9 million iPads in the same period [10][11] - Just 49 days after the launch, HP announced the cessation of all WebOS device development, a decision made without adequate time to address the product's issues or build a developer ecosystem [11][12] Group 4: Aftermath and Reflection - The abrupt termination of the WebOS project led to significant internal backlash, with team members blaming leadership for the failure [12][13] - The article emphasizes the importance of having the right leadership and decision-making frameworks in place to avoid similar failures in the future [18][20][21] - Despite the failure of WebOS, the underlying technology was later repurposed by LG for smart TVs, indicating its potential value if managed correctly [23]