JUNE 2008: AROUND THE STATE
HP buys EDS for $13.2B
CORVALLIS In
mid-May, as rumors swirled regarding major job cuts at its
Corvallis campus, Hewlett-Packard dropped $13.2 billion in cash
for Texas-based tech-services provider Electronic Data Systems.
Oregonians may remember EDS — last November the company
bought Portland-based Saber Corp. for $420 million. HP’s
acquisition puts the company in a more competitive position
with rival IBM in the estimated $550 billion corporate
tech-services market.
What it means for its employees is unknown. HP has already cut
thousands of jobs in Corvallis (birthplace of its famed inkjet
technology) and Vancouver in recent years. According to
HP spokeswoman Emma McCulloch, it will be several months until
integration plans for the companies are finalized and any
changes are announced.
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