HP: debt advice - FT.com Hello, pot? It's me, kettle, calling with some advice. Hewlett-Packard issued a statement this week arguing that Dell's plan to go private in a leveraged buyout was a strategic error. This makes excellent sense, given that HP has more experience with strategic error than any technology company in the world. HP says that Dell is taking on too much debt in the buyout, and they would know. A big chunk of the $28bn of debt on their own balance sheet came from the $25bn spent acquiring EDS and Autonomy - two-thirds of which has been subsequently written off. Hard-won wisdom should be shared, not hoarded. How about a helpful letter from Nokia to BlackBerry, pointing out that taking on Apple in smartphones might be an insurmountable challenge?