According to the LA Times, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was the first to contact Hewlett-Packard about the partnership to deliver an HP-branded music player based on the iPod. “In mid-2003, Fiorina received a surprise phone call from Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs… In December, HP began negotiating with Apple in earnest. Fiorina and Jobs became involved in the talks from time to time, but most of the bargaining was done by Tom Anderson, HP’s VP of marketing for consumer PCs, and Tim Cook, Apple’s VP for worldwide operations… On a Monday afternoon three days before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, Anderson spent several hours at Apple’s headquarters hashing out details with Cook’s team. Late that Wednesday, Fiorina and Jobs signed off on the deal.”
