Carly Fiorina led HP from 1999 to 2005 as CEO. She pursued a risky strategy of acquiring Compaq in order to compete with Dell, but the merger did not generate significant profits. Fiorina struggled as HP's revenue grew under her leadership. She spent too much time promoting herself externally and not enough focusing internally. Large-scale layoffs hurt HP's public image and product demand. Suggestions for Fiorina included not overpromising, collaborating more with teams on strategies, and adapting her leadership style to be more inclusive.