U.S. manufacturer of computers, computer printers, and measuring instruments.
Founded in 1938 in Palo Alto, Calif., by William Hewlett (1913–2001) and David Packard (1912–96), the company grew along with the electronics sector of the U.S. defense industry after World War II (1939–45). In 1966 it developed its first computer, and in 1968 one of the earliest desktop electronic calculators. Hewlett-Packard entered the personal-computer market in 1980, and its HP Laser Jet printer dominated the market for computer printers in the 1980s. By the 1990s the company was a leading maker of minicomputers used by businesses and institutions and a leader in the field of laser and inkjet printers. In 2002 the company bought rival Compaq Computer for $25 billion.