William R. Hewlett (May 20, 1913-January 12, 2001) and Dave Packard (September 7, 1912- March 26, 1996)
William Hewlett and David Packard were the co-founders of Hewlett-Packard (HP), today the second largest computer company in the U.S. The two met as undergraduate engineers at Stanford University. They worked together to design their first product, an audio oscillator, in 1938 in Hewlett’s garage in Palo Alto, CA, with a starting capital of $538 and a Sears-Roebuck drill press. After the Walt Disney Studios bought eight of their audio oscillators, Hewlett and Packard formed HP in 1939 and started to sell products via mail order.
HP saw speedy expansion during World War II, when many orders were made for defense projects. The rapid growth allowed Hewlett and Packard to create divisions within their company based on all of the many different products they were creating.
The company saw steady growth in the following years. In 1977, Packard stepped down from his position as chairman of the board and the following year Hewlett stepped down as CEO and president of HP, though he stayed on as vice chairman until his retirement from the company in 1987.
In 1990, both Hewlett and Packard returned to management duties at HP to prevent losses and layoffs. Although Hewlett left after all matters were resolved, Packard stayed on as chairman for three more years.
Today, William Hewlett and David Packard are praised as respected businessmen and philanthropists.
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