WHITMAN’S WAR

When billionaire meg Whitman, the former ebay chief and onetime California gubernatorial candidate, joined Hewlett-Packard as Ceo in late 2011, she walked into a tough spot: Its stock had cratered 42% in the year prior. as observed on our June 10, 2013, cover, Whitman was going to war—and she expected it would take five years to secure the venerable silicon Valley pioneer. she went in, guns blazing—most notably, in 2015, splitting the company and remaining in charge of HewlettPackard enterprise, its services unit. last month she announced she will step down in february; HPe’s stock is up 30% since it began trading in the wake of the company’s split. HPe president antonio neri will then take control. Whitman has ruled out another political run, and though briefly reported to be up for Uber’s top job, she says she’ll take another Ceo spot only if it’s a perfect fit. Her new battle plans, in other words, are pending.