HP has come a long way from a tiny garage on Addison Avenue in Palo Alto. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard took $538 in working capital and a Sears-Roebuck drill and built what is now the largest technology company in the world. Despite the considerable amount of change HP has seen, we still hold on to some basic principles from those early days.
Hewlett-Packard Company co-founder William R. (Bill) Hewlett (right) talking with an HP Labs employee at the workbench in February 1956.
Bill and Dave employed a unique approach to product development that lives on at The Next Bench. Originally, HP made test and measuring instruments for engineers. Since HP engineers essentially represented the customer base, Bill and Dave asked them to design devices for each other. The idea was simple. If the guy on the next bench wanted the product you were working on, chances are it would be a success. If he didn’t, he could likely help make it better.
As HP expanded its product portfolio, it continued to look to customers for input on what kinds of product ideas to pursue. At The Next Bench, we want to carry on that tradition. We will share updates on projects we’re working on. If you like what we’re doing, tell us. And if you don't, we want to hear that as well so that we can make things better.
