Oh, my! You were with "classic HP"! I was with "classic Compaq" (but not until 1994). I think that our cultures were very similar until maybe the late 1990s (when did Carly arrive?) The merger was a disaster in terms of culture and moral. It steadily got worse, in my opinion, until Meg Whitman arrived. She did so much to restore trust all the way around.

I think what some Silicon Valley start-ups don't quite get is that it's not about the donuts - it's about trust. When you trust people, they do tend to live UP to that. When you value people as individuals (as in your Rosh Hashanah story), they feel it - and it cements loyalty. Donuts are sweet - but we work to live, most of us - we don't come to work because it's a playground. The fun comes from a team atmosphere where we all like and trust each other, and where mistakes are not CRISES ALL THE TIME, but rather opportunities to roll up our sleeves and fix problems TOGETHER.

A poem, you say? About donuts? OK. ;) Maybe we need someone to play guitar... I hear Bill did that.