SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – To fire one CEO, or even two, may be regarded as misfortune; to fire three looks like carelessness.

When Hewlett-Packard Co named Leo Apotheker as its chief executive last year, the majority of the board that hired him had not even met the German executive.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co is on the verge of naming former eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman its new CEO, replacing Leo Apotheker at the helm of the largest U.S. technology company, two sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The company is preparing to announce the decision, which would elevate Whitman to full CEO rather than serving in an interim capacity, after markets close, two sources said.

By Peter Henderson and Karen Brooks

(Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry has sidelined a state commissioner opposed to expanding the scope of a nuclear-waste landfill while appointing a new board to oversee a project owned by one of his biggest political donors.

Perry, who tops the list of candidates seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. president, has said his appointments are based on experience. A spokeswoman said the new makeup of the commission reflected its “evolving needs.”

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hard to understand, difficult to work with and deemed irreplaceable by many Apple fans and investors, Steve Jobs has made a life defying conventions and expectations.

And despite years of signs of poor health, his resignation as chief executive of Apple Inc caused a global gasp as the world contemplated the future of an icon and the company he symbolizes.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Hard to understand,
difficult to work with and deemed irreplaceable by many Apple
fans and investors, Steve Jobs has made a life defying
conventions and expectations.

And despite years of signs of poor health, his resignation
as chief executive of Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) caused a global gasp
as the world contemplated the future of an icon and the company
he symbolizes.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Intel’s business is on
course despite the meltdown in global stock markets and U.S.
sovereign debt downgrade, thanks to demand in developing
markets, its chief financial officer said.

In sharp contrast to panicked investors who sent the Dow
Jones down more than 5 percent on Monday, an unruffled Stacy
Smith said consumers in booming economies like China and Brazil
that now make up half of Intel’s sales were not scared by U.S.
issues.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Intel’s chief financial
officer said he does not expect S&P’s downgrade of U.S.
sovereign debt to hurt business at the top personal computer
chipmaker this quarter, after a sharp sell-off on Wall Street
on Monday.

Weeks before global markets went into a tailspin after
Standard & Poor’s took the unprecedented step of downgrading
U.S. debt, Intel trimmed its forecast for 2011 personal
computer unit sales, warning of softness in mature markets.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California plans to get a third of its electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy, but Governor “Moonbeam” Jerry Brown wants more. Soon.

The feisty 73-year-old who brings a former seminarian’s zeal to environmentalism sees green jobs reinvigorating the economy and restoring California’s position as world leader in clean energy.