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Phil McKinney

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

An Open Letter to HP's Board, and Every Board Governing an Innovation-Dependent Organization

What innovation-dependent organizations need from their boards, and four places to start.

Dawn of opportunity for HP to bring back a Silicon Valley innovation leader

HP Has Fired, Forced Out, or Lost 6 CEOs in 25 Years. Here We Go Again.

Two CEO successions hit on the same day. Disney chose a 28-year insider. HP's board is starting from scratch — again.

HP Has Fired, Forced Out, or Lost 6 CEOs in 25 Years. Here We Go Again.

How to Stop Overthinking Your Decisions

Gathering more information feels responsible. There's a point where it tips into overthinking and keeps you stuck.

How to Stop Overthinking Your Decisions

How I Bankrupted Two Companies

It wasn't bad decisions. It was no decisions. I had technology that could beat Intel and HP. My team waited for direction. I gave them meetings.

The stress and feeling of being a failure when you are part of the reason for two companies going bankrupt

Mindjacking: When Your Opinions Aren't Yours

Every day you make decisions you think are yours. Most aren't. The algorithm decided, the expert weighed in, the crowd chose. You just clicked agree.

Be careful for mindjacking. It is when others take over thinking for you.

How I Mindjacked Boards for a Living

A Confession from Inside the Consulting Industrial Complex

Mindjacking boards by using what consultants call best practices. I was good at it.

CES 2026: Battle of the AI Robots

From AI toilets to fire trucks that shave seconds off response times, here's what 50,000 steps on the show floor revealed about where tech is headed.

CES 2026: Battle of the AI Robots

Mental Models — Your Thinking Toolkit

NASA engineers and management had the same data. Their conclusions were 1000x apart. The difference? The mental tools they used to think.

Mental Models — Your Thinking Toolkit

The Million-Dollar Decision I Got Wrong (And Why I'm Grateful)

I built 3COM's largest network. Then I turned down the job offer.

The Million-Dollar Decision I Got Wrong (And Why I'm Grateful)

The Military Ignored His Brain Injury. So He Built What Could Have Saved His Brothers.

A Navy SEAL's fight against the invisible wounds killing America's elite warriors.

The Military Ignored His Brain Injury. So He Built What Could Have Saved His Brothers.