Tech giant HP to slash 27,000 jobs by 2014 Then-gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, now the CEO of tech giant HP, addresses her supporters during her concession speech after losing to Jerry Brown in 2010. Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times / November 2, 2010 By W.J. Hennigan May 23, 2012, 2:30 p.m. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest PC maker, will cut 27,000 jobs, or about 8 percent of its staff, by 2014 to bring down costs and make the company more competitive in a changing marketplace. The move comes as consumer demand for the company's PCs plummets, and shifts toward tablets and smartphones. The Palo Alto company also reported second quarter earnings of $1.59 billion, or 80 cents a share. That's down from last year's $2.3 billion, or $1.05 a share. "We are making progress in our multi-year effort to make HP simpler, more efficient and better for customers, employees, and shareholders," Meg Whitman, HP's president and chief executive, said in a statement. When Whitman took over as chief executive in September, fresh off an unsuccessful and costly run for California governor, she was the fourth person to hold the title in little more than a year. At the time, expectations were high that a high-profile executive could bolster confidence among investors and customers.