The rise and fall of Antonio Neri, HPE CEO

From humble beginnings to the top of the tech world

When Antonio Neri took over as CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in 2018, he was hailed as a visionary leader who could revive the struggling company.

Neri had a long history with HPE, having joined the company in 1995 and rising through the ranks to become head of its server business.

As CEO, Neri set out to transform HPE into a leading provider of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.

A rocky start

Neri's tenure as CEO got off to a rocky start. The company's stock price plummeted in the wake of a series of disappointing earnings reports.

Neri was also criticized for his handling of HPE's relationship with its Chinese subsidiary, which was accused of stealing intellectual property from American companies.

Making progress

Despite these challenges, Neri made some progress in his first few years as CEO.

He oversaw the launch of several new products and services, and he made significant investments in research and development.

Neri also took steps to improve HPE's financial performance, including cutting costs and selling off non-core assets.

The beginning of the end

However, Neri's tenure as CEO was ultimately marked by a series of missteps.

In 2020, HPE was forced to write down $8 billion in goodwill after its acquisition of Nimble Storage proved to be a disappointment.

The company also continued to lose market share to its rivals, such as Dell Technologies and Cisco Systems.

The end of an era

In November 2022, HPE announced that Neri would be stepping down as CEO.

Neri's departure marks the end of an era for HPE. He was the last of the company's original founders to serve as CEO.

His departure also raises questions about the future of HPE. The company has struggled to keep pace with the rapidly changing tech landscape, and it is unclear whether Neri's successor can turn things around.