InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology

IT Hall Of Shame, Part 2

Start The Discussion | Paul McDougall | September 18, 2010 06:00 AM

Welcome back to our rogue's gallery of computer industry flops, frauds and foibles. In this installment, we're pleased to present ten more exhibits, from Y2K to the Pentium Bug, that prove the best laid plans of mice and men don't just go awry -- they lead straight to the IT Hall of Shame.

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Mark Hurd

Former HP CEO Mark Hurd boosted the company's presence in the enterprise software and services markets with bold acquisitions like the $13.9 billion takeover of EDS. HP also became the world's biggest PC seller under Hurd's watch. Thus was he richly rewarded -- Hurd banked $52 million in 2009. But on August 7, 2010, HP fired Hurd for filing expense reports allegedly inflated to cover up an inappropriate dalliance with marketing contractor (and former soft-core porn star) Jodie Fisher. The biggest mystery of all? With all that scratch, why didn't Hurd just use an ATM to pay for the pricey dinners and hotel rooms?

Take a stroll though to our expanded rogue's gallery of tech industry flops, frauds and foibles. In this installment, we are (with apologies to Rod Serling) pleased to present for your consideration ten more exhibits, from golden "oldies" like the Y2K scare and the Pentium Bug to more recent nominees such as the porn-addicted IBM worker and Apple's Antennagate fiasco, that prove the best laid plans of computer mice and men don't just go awry -- they often lead straight to the IT Hall of Shame. And in case you missed it, be sure to check out Part 1 for more infamous individuals, incidents and inventions from the annals of information technology history. Among our first inductees were SCO CEO Darl McBride, the Apple Newton, and Microsoft's Windows-powered wristwatch. After wandering around the exhibit hall, please let us know of any egregious omissions, and feel free to send suggestions for future editions of the IT Hall Of Shame.

Further reading: IT Hall Of Shame, Part 1