"Leo is probably one of the smartest strategists in the industry, but he doesn't know how to communicate," said Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research. "To be an effective leader, you've got to put out a vision that everyone can get excited about."

A former head of business software vendor SAP, Apotheker was seen as a surprise choice when he was announced as a replacement for former CEO Mark Hurd, one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile figures. Hurd left HP last year after a scandal involving a relationship with an HP contractor. He has since landed a job as co-president of Oracle.

Apotheker's reign as sole CEO of SAP was a rocky one, marked by flagging software license revenues, tensions among customers over an unpopular support fee hike and low employee morale. He ultimately in February 2010, less than a year after being named to the job.

It didn't get any easier for Apotheker during his time at HP, with the market reacting badly to a series of strategic decisions as he sought to position HP as a more . Those a possible of HP's PC division as well as plans to purchase infrastructure software vendor Autonomy.

Arriving at HP, Apotheker faced a "big cultural mismatch," Wang said.