Wednesday HP revealed in an official company blog that it's launching a series of ads marketing its Personal Systems Group (PSG) as a spin-off company. According to the company, a new spin-off organization would be a $40 billion business with the agility and freedom of a start-up.
"Our preferred course is to spin off our PC business into a separate company, creating a more agile organization to help us better anticipate change and quickly respond to customers," reads the latest ad. "This will give us the freedom to deliver the best new products at the best prices faster than we ever have before."
Over on a website dedicated to the cause, HP executive VP Todd Bradley says that it's time to think like a startup again. "It's time to be nimble and revolutionary," he states. "It's time again for world-changing innovation. And so, it's time we realized we're at a crossroads in an evolving HP. But don't misunderstand: We – the same great folks who make HP PCs today – will make them tomorrow. We will continue to build on our legacy creating reliable, stylish, and high-performance PCs to improve your personal and professional life."
Just recently Bradley dismissed rumors about HP selling off its PC business, indicating that the numbers behind such a strategy didn't make sense. "My intention would be to lead it through this transaction ... and if it's a standalone public company, to lead that," he said
A few weeks ago during a Q3 conference call, HP CEO Leo Apotheker admitted tablets pushed HP into considering the spin-off PC business, that the PSG needs the flexibility to make its own decisions. "There is a clear movement in the consumer PC space," Apotheker said. "The tablet effect is real."