Codifying the HP Way: Sonoma Meeting

By 1957, Hewlett-Packard had grown too large for Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard to be personally familiar with all of the company’s personnel and operations. To ensure the company’s values would continue, Bill and Dave consulted with top executives and drew up Hewlett-Packard’s first formal set of corporate objectives, which Dave then presented at the company’s first offsite meeting of senior managers, held at a retreat in Sonoma, California. The now-famous “Sonoma meeting” would become a landmark in Hewlett-Packard history.