From the Archives: H-P's Stock Could Use a Parting Gift

This column originally ran Jan. 18 on RealMoney.com

Scott Livengood's worth 10% of upside for Krispy Kreme(KKD Quote - Cramer on KKD - Stock Picks) when he hits the exit. Gene Kahn's worth 15% to May(MAY Quote - Cramer on MAY - Stock Picks) when he gets pushed onto the exit ramp.

Who else could make you money by departing?

OK, you want to know the truth? You want to know who could make you pretty decent money by going off to head the World Bank or the United Nations or the FBI, for that matter -- don't they have computer problems?

Hewlett-Packard's(HPQ Quote - Cramer on HPQ - Stock Picks) Carly Fiorina.

Ouch, hurts to write that. I was a big backer of Fiorina's at one time because I thought she could make this merger work and make it come alive. But the people I really respected at both companies now have fled and Fiorina has alienated just about every constituency out there that matters.

Hewlett-Packard seems to want to be many different things. It seems to want to take on Dell(DELL Quote - Cramer on DELL - Stock Picks) and then not take on Dell, to be a computer company and then be a printer company, to be a software company and then de-emphasize software. It wants to be a consulting company and then not be a consultant company. It wants to make big money and then it wants to go for share. It's willing to lose money in PCs and then it isn't. (And Fiorina could have bought Apple(AAPL Quote - Cramer on AAPL - Stock Picks), not Compaq!)

Make up your darned mind!

I don't think Fiorina's going anywhere. She's spending fortunes getting her face around on the new-new strategy.

But there is no doubt in my mind that if Fiorina were to hit the exit, we'd see $22 even if some nobody-I-know-type got the job.

Tough judgment, I know, and certainly a mean one. But I made it about Livengood last week and the stock is ramping. I didn't even know how bad this Kahn was.

Hewlett-Packard's stock? Don't hold your breath, but it could go higher with a stroke of a pen.

Random musings: He's not on the same order as Fiorina, but if Kevin Kennedy would give up at JDS Uniphase(JDSU Quote - Cramer on JDSU - Stock Picks), we could see $3. He's completely not in charge. Nobody is.