What Does Hp Stand for? the Real Story Behind the Tech Giant, Cars, and Games
By James H. Sterling
The tech giant began in 1939 inside a small garage at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, California. Stanford University graduates William Redington Hewlett and David Packard pooled $538 in seed money to launch a company producing precision measuring equipment. Their inaugural breakthrough was the HP Model 200A, an audio oscillator based on Hewlett’s graduate thesis. The young engineers quickly found an influential buyer: Walt Disney Studios ordered eight modified Model 200B units to calibrate theaters screening the 1940 animated film Fantasia.
The order of their surnames on the corporate marquee came down to a literal game of chance. Dave Packard won the coin toss, earning the right to name the venture Packard-Hewlett. Instead, Packard deferred, putting Bill Hewlett’s name first because he believed "Hewlett-Packard" rolled off the tongue more naturally. That single coin flip permanently anchored one of the foundational brand identities of Silicon Valley.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
