"The HP-Compaq merger proved that you can make technology mergers work, " Clarke says.
Making the deal work will hinge on making decisions fast, getting buy-in from leaders at both companies, ditching redundant product lines and integrating two different cultures, says Travelport Chief Executive Jeff Clarke, one of two executives who led the HP-Compaq integration team.
The litany of alleged abuse brought no corroborators out of the wings, even though the bullied big shots--HP's Carleton Fiorina, Compaq's Capellas and Gateway's Theodore Waitt--have little to lose from snitching.
Former Hewlett-Packard employees say that managers with the software company have been quizzing them on HP's 2002 acquisition of Compaq--a deal that centered on slashing costs and ditching redundant products in a hurry--rather than any grand strategic vision.
Including Fiorina, each of HP's 15 highest-ranking executives (10 from HP, 5 from Compaq) is a seller as well as a manager, calling on 7 to 15 accounts.
If Capellas is named WorldCom chief executive--he is reportedly one of several under consideration--his time at Compaq and HP would probably look like a cakewalk by comparison.
Analysts are looking for 22 cents per share, which would be a 17% increase from the year-ago quarter--well before HP closed its purchase of Compaq Computer .
The HP Compaq L2311c efficiently creates an expanded plug-and-play workspace for increased productivity with one USB connection that provides full HD video, Internet connectivity and access to peripherals directly from the monitor's integrated Ethernet, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports.
There are still notable gaps--software and consulting--but Compaq brought storage and services to HP.
The clean-roomers killed the HP Jornada handheld in favor of the Compaq iPAQ .
The consultants could also help sell a full line of PCs, servers and high-end computer gear from the combined operations of HP and Compaq.
Wall Street worries that HP and Compaq won't find enough cost cuts in their slow-growing PC businesses.
HP's PC money came from retail, while Compaq had a profitable Web-based business.
Yet Capellas arguably made a more surprising leap in 1999 when he was named chief executive of Compaq Computer , which later merged with HP (nyse: HWQ - news - people ).
Last month, just days after HP voters apparently blessed the Compaq merger (the final tally is still pending), Hewlett-Packard quietly rolled out its first Indigo printers-awesome machines that deliver high-quality color prints at up to 500 pages a minute.
But HP, a company synonymous with the birth of Silicon Valley, and Compaq Computer, a Houston-based firm which once pioneered PC price-cutting, may yet have to restructure their deal or abandon it entirely.
Cico joins the ranks of fallen female executives that include Carly Fiorina , who was ousted from Hewlett-Packard last year following disagreements with the board stretching back to HP's 2002 acquisition of Compaq Computer.
Compaq, of course, would be sold to Hewlett-Packard in a controversial deal that HP closed in 2002.
FORBES: Former Compaq CEO Switches To A Mac, Makes Steve Jobs' Day
But all the noise in Palo Alto covers over what may be the real deal-killer: Compaq, weakened by all the uncertainty, may be forced to walk out on HP.
Cico joins the ranks of fallen female executives that include Carly Fiorina , who was ousted from Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) last year following disagreements with the board stretching back to HP's 2002 acquisition of Compaq Computer.
Capellas leaves HP (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) six months after the company's merger with Compaq Computer.
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