McKinney announced on his blog that he will be retiring and, in the future, helping others to innovate.
McKinney is believed to have orchestrated HP's acquisition of VoodooPC and he is believed to have had a close relationship with VoodooPC co-founder Rahul Sood, both of which frequently showed their respect to each other. Sood announced his departure from HP in late 2010. Together, McKinney and Sood developed some of the most recognizable PCs that HP has come up with over the past decade, including the Blackbird and Firebird PCs, as well as the Envy 133 notebook. Without those sparks, HP's product lineup would have been as boring as a toothpick.
McKinney said that he will now be focusing on publishing a book, he wants to become a blogger, podcaster, speaker and teach innovation. He noted that his last day at HP will be December 31.