William Redington Hewlett's Social Links

Profile
William Hewlett, better known as Bill, was co-founder of Hewlett-Packard and a Silicon
Valley pioneer. Born May 20, 1913 in Ann Arbor Michigan, where his father was a
professor at University of Michigans medical school, Hewlett first arrived in San
Francisco at three-years-old when his father took a position at Stanford. His father died
unexpectedly when he was twelve years old.
Hewlett struggled with what would later be recognized as dyslexia and didnt shine
academically in high school. He possessed a strong intellectual curiosity, however, and
was eager to understand how things work. His interest in electronics began with a
crystal radio he built as a teenager, constructed from store bought parts and coils he
wound by hand. He also built a Tesla coil and an electric furnace for making carbide.
This passion for inquiry and his admirable character earned him the respect of his high
school principle, who encouraged Stanford to take a chance on Hewlett despite his
unexceptional high school record. Thanks to this recommendation and his late fathers
reputation, Hewlett was accepted in 1930.
It was at Stanford that Hewlett met his future partner, David Packard. They forged a
friendship freshman year, strengthening their bond over their mutual love of the
outdoors.
Hewlett graduated from Stanford in 1934, and went on to earn his Master of Science in
electrical engineering from MIT in 1936. He conducted his thesis at MIT under Ernst A.
Guillemin, who he credited with giving him a very important understanding of his field at
large. After receiving his degree, he returned to Stanford and continued taking classes
out of pure interest. A class with Frederick Terman, later to become a major player in the
development of Silicon Valley, marked the first formal radio education hed had. While
Hewlett had no intention of receiving a degree, Terman realized that his work would
make an excellent thesis and he received his electrical engineers degree in 1939. That
same year, he married biochemist Flora Lamson. They would raise five children,
remaining together until her death in 1977. He remarried in 1978, to Rosemary Bradford
Hewlett.
On his return to Stanford, Hewlett reconnected with Dave Packard. Encouraged by
Terman, they raised $538 in start-up capital and founded Hewlett-Packard in a one-car
garage behind Packards Palo Alto house, determining the name based on a coin toss.
Their first venture, an automatic foul line for bowling alleys, had no market. The next, an
audio oscillator Hewlett had invented, was much more successful. They named it the
200A to make it look as if HP was a long-established company, and sold eight to The
Walt Disney Company for use in the 1940 film Fantasia.
After their triumphant start, the company flourished. With the exception of his service as
a chief signal officer during WWII, Hewlett devoted his entire career to building HP. In

the early 1970s, HP forged a new path, becoming early pioneers in computer
engineering. Responding to Hewletts challenge to design a calculator that could fit in
his shirt pocket, HPs engineers created the HP 35, the worlds first pocket scientific
calculator and the death toll of the slide rule.
With Packard, Hewlett created groundbreaking corporate structures they referred to as
The HP Way. Their innovations, including profit-sharing, employee stock options,
flexible work hours, and employee health insurance, had a major influence on American
corporate culture. Hewlett believed his employees were the foundations of his
companys success. He worked comfortably alongside his staff, no matter where they
stood in the corporate hierarchy. He encouraged innovation, giving workers
opportunities to engage in creative problem solving whenever possible.
Hewlett retired in 1987, but briefly returned with Packard in 1990 to help lead changes
that revitalized the company and prevented the losses suffered by IBM and Digital. A
charitable man by nature, he founded the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation with his
wife in 1966. Widely considered a true visionary, Hewlett received many awards,
including the Presidential Medal of Science, the nations highest recognition for scientific
accomplishment, awarded by President Reagan in 1985. Hewlett died of heart failure at
age 88 in Palo Alto, in the heart of the Silicon Valley community whose foundations he
had helped build 62 years before.
Companies and Investments
Hewlett-Packard (co-founder, former President and CEO), William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation (co-founder)
Lessons Learned
Follow your passion Hewlett didnt start experimenting with innovative technology in
search of profit. His desire to build and create began in childhood, and he let that
passion carry him through his entire career. In fact, his graduate work at Stanford began
with courses he took out of pure interest. It was only under the encouragement of
Frederick Terman that he put those courses and his research towards a degree. It was
this kind of driving passion and genuine curiosity that made his career thrive. He once
said that he simply did what interested him as an engineer and the money just
happened along, a testament to the power of earnest love for ones work.
Inspire excellence in others Hewlett and Packard believed in the potential of their
employees, and encouraged innovation and invention in the workplace. Rather than
dictate exacting tasks to their employees, they encouraged as much autonomy as
possible, trusting that the creativity of their workers would lead to greater innovation
than strict obedience to instructions. Even when their endeavors moved to computers,
which required a more integrated plan, they would give a division a general description
of what was needed and trust their workers to create an optimal design.

Hewlett and his partner worked to create an environment of creativity in the workplace.
Managers at all levels were given a wide berth for creative problem solving and
decision-making. They encouraged employees to use company equipment and parts for
personal projects, knowing it would inspire their talents for innovation and help foster
new discoveries. Knowing that missteps are inevitable in developing truly forwardthinking ideas, they were very forgiving of mistakes. They also established Friday as a
day for brainstorming for the future, a tradition born of Hewletts desire to make
scheduled work illegal on Fridays, suggesting engineers take the day off to think blue
sky. Hewlett himself would often walk around the offices and labs, engaging and
challenging his employees. Giving their employees the space for creative problem
solving was instrumental in HPs enormous success.
Treat people as your most valuable resource Hewlett and Packard created The HP
Way, a revolutionary-for-its time management philosophy that would prove highly
influential on American corporate culture. They offered profit sharing and employee
stock ownership, giving their employees a stake in the company and therefore
encouraging them to be invested in its success. They also offered medical insurance, a
business practice essentially unheard of at the time. Hewlett knew his employees were
the foundation of the companys success, and treated them all with respect and humility,
approaching all of his workers with the same unassuming manner. He is known for his
philosophy that one should never stifle a generous impulse, and he brought that
sentiment into his corporate structure, inspiring a faithful workforce invested in the
success of the company.
Turn difficulties into opportunities for growth - Hewlett found reading and writing difficult
due to undiagnosed dyslexia. Though this proved a hindrance for dealing with written
material, he credits his superior memorization and logic skills to adapting to these
limitations.

Inspiring Quotes
William Redington Hewlett's Quotes

What Im most proud of is the fact that we really create a way to work
with employees, let them share in the profits, and still keep control of
it.

William Redington Hewlett

Men and women want to do a good job, and if they are provided the
proper environment, they will do so.

William Redington Hewlett

First, we did not want to run a hire-and-fire operation, but rather a

company built on a loyal and dedicated work force. Further, we felt
that this work force should be able to share to some extent in the
progress of the company. Second, we wished to operate, as much
as possible, on a pay-as-you-go basis, that our growth be financed
by our earnings and not by debt.

William Redington Hewlett

We encouraged this initiative at all levels. Even at the beginning we

encouraged employees who had an idea about how to do something
to go ahead and try it out.

William Redington Hewlett

Never try to take a fortified hill, especially if the army on top is bigger
than you are.

William Redington Hewlett