Which CEO of Hewlett-Packard oversaw the controversial Autonomy acquisition?

Léo Apotheker was the Hewlett-Packard CEO who oversaw the controversial acquisition of Autonomy.

Apotheker became HP’s president and CEO in November 2010 after previously serving as SAP’s chief executive. His brief tenure focused on shifting HP toward software and other higher-margin enterprise businesses. In August 2011, HP announced plans to acquire the British software company Autonomy for approximately $11.1 billion, a price representing a premium of about 79 percent over Autonomy’s market value.

The deal was closely associated with Apotheker’s strategy, although HP completed the transaction shortly after the board replaced him with Meg Whitman in September 2011. HP later recorded an approximately $8.8 billion write-down tied to Autonomy and alleged serious accounting improprieties at the acquired company. Autonomy’s former leaders disputed HP’s account, making the episode especially controversial.

Mark Hurd and Meg Whitman are common alternatives, but neither led HP during the decision to pursue the acquisition. Hurd had left in 2010, while Whitman became CEO after Apotheker’s dismissal and inherited the consequences.