Excerpts From Fiorina's New Book, Tough ChoicesExcerpts From Fiorina's New Book, Tough Choices

The day an AT&T business meeting with a client was scheduled for a strip club: My colleagues were sitting as far from the door as possible, and the only way to reach them was to cross in front of that stage. I clutched my briefcase tighter and walked to their table, looking seriously out of place and quite ridiculous.

Her perception of HP when she was approached about the CEO job there: Hewlett-Packard was the storied, original start-up that had spawned Silicon Valley from a garage. Then growth and innovation had stalled. The company had become known as the gray lady of Silicon Valley.

Her take about what the HP Way philosophy had become: At HP, however, the past and the status quo were also wrapped in the religion of the HP Way and the mythology of the founders. Bill and Dave had once been radicals and pioneers, but now there were too many instances when a new idea was quickly dismissed with the comment, "We don't do it that way. It's not the HP Way." ... We had to demystify and deconstruct the HP Way because what it had become was an impediment.

The attention given to the fact that she's a woman in a top business position: Vanity Fair, despite being warned numerous times that they were writing fiction about me, continued to report that I traveled constantly with a hairdresser and a makeup artist. There was a persistent rumor, bolstered by commentary in the local press, that I'd built a pink marble bathroom in my office ... When I finally reached the top, after striving my entire career to be judged by results and accomplishments, the coverage of my gender, my appearance, and the perceptions of my personality would vastly outweigh anything else. It disappoints me greatly.

The phone call she received letting her know the families would fight the Compaq acquisition: I was surprised late one morning when my secretary said Walter Hewlett was on the phone. He had never called me before. I was staggered when he informed me in a cold voice with a minimum of words that as an HP shareholder, he intended to announce his opposition to the merger and vote his and the Hewlett Foundation's shares against the deal. I'm sure I was stammering when I asked him why.

Her dismissal from HP: They did not have the courage to face me. They did not thank me and they did not say good-bye. They did not explain their decision or their reasoning ... I didn't know what to expect, but I assumed I would be facing them. I wasn't prepared for the empty conference room I entered.