Phil Mckinney

2 weeks ago | philmckinney.substack.com | Phil Mckinney

I've never shared this story publicly before—how I convinced HP's board to acquire Palm for $1.2 billion, then watched as they destroyed it while I was confined to bed recovering from surgery. This isn't just another tech failure analysis. I was the HP Chief Technology Officer who led the technical due diligence on Palm. I presented to Mark Hurd and the HP board, making the case for moving forward with the acquisition. I believed we were buying the future of mobile computing.

2 weeks ago | philmckinney.medium.com | Phil Mckinney

I’ve never shared this story publicly before — how I convinced HP’s board to acquire Palm for $1.2 billion, then watched helplessly as they destroyed it while I was confined to bed recovering from surgery. As HP’s Chief Technology Officer, I led the technical due diligence on Palm. I believed we were buying the future of mobile computing. WebOS had true multitasking when iOS and Android couldn’t handle it, elegant interface design, and breakthrough architecture buried inside a failing business.

2 weeks ago | philmckinney.com | Phil Mckinney

I've never shared this story publicly before—how I convinced HP's board to acquire Palm for $1.2 billion, then watched as they destroyed it while I was confined to bed recovering from surgery. This isn't just another tech failure analysis. I was the HP Chief Technology Officer who led the technical due diligence on Palm. I presented to Mark Hurd and the HP board, making the case for moving forward with the acquisition. I believed we were buying the future of mobile computing.

3 weeks ago | philmckinney.com | Phil Mckinney

Saturday, my 12-year-old grandson (not the kid in the photo) showed me how he'd used my latest YouTube video to create better AI prompts for his small laser cutting business. He was excited to share what he'd learned about using AI as a "creativity partner" rather than a replacement for his own design work. As we sat in the dance recital waiting for his sister's performance, I watched him demonstrate his AI prompt technique with the confidence of someone who'd figured out a complex system.

3 weeks ago | philmckinney.medium.com | Phil Mckinney

Saturday, my 12-year-old grandson (not the kid in the photo) showed me how he’d used my latest YouTube video to create better AI prompts for his small laser cutting business. He was excited to share what he’d learned about using AI as a “creativity partner” rather than a replacement for his own design work. As we sat in the dance recital waiting for his sister’s performance, I watched him demonstrate his AI prompt technique with the confidence of someone who’d figured out a complex system.