Hurd it all before...

On Friday, as news was breaking on Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd's abrupt departure from the world's largest electronics company, I joined John Batchelor and NY Times reporter Ashlee Vance on John's show to begin unraveling this shocker story. (You can hear the podcast here.) So shocking, that the seismic waves crossed Silicon Valley, hit Wall Street before closing and traveled 'round the world in an eyeblink (causing HP's stock to drop close to 10 percent).

Mark Hurd, former HP CEO...

The big question was all about the "why?" Originally, it was said to have been born out of a sexual harassment investigation but HP said it found no evidence to support that claim. In the course of searching for facts, however, it was discovered that other improprieties had taken place/occurred. HP's board confronted Hurd and he stepped down (receiving more than $20 million in parting cash in the process).

Today we learn who it was he was accused of harassing (then cleared) and then, reportedly, conducting improper business with or because of...

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "The woman who accused HP CEO Mark Hurd of sexual harassment and got him sacked has come forward and said she's sorry he got canned. [Jodie Fisher] also said--as he has--that they didn't have sex (or any other form of intimate relationship). Which begs the question: What exactly did he do that made her sue him for sexual harassment? In any event, she's in her early 50s now and works as a business consultant. When she was in her 30s, she was an actress and appeared in some crappy movies."

Jodie Fisher (from the SF Chronicle: "Here's one of her, um, headshots from IMDB.")...

The questions remain: what will become of HP, which had been recovering nicely after the departure of former CEO Carly Fiorina? Can the interim leadership and next CEO help keep HP growing and profitable? How will one man's departure from one of Silicon Valley's top companies impact the tech sector, not to mention the overall economy?