The Journal also reported that Fisher sent a follow-up letter to Hurd, after the two had reached a settlement, in which she said her earlier complaint had contained "many inaccuracies."

HP investigated Fisher's harassment claim and concluded Hurd had not violated its policy in that regard, but it said he did fall foul of its standards of business conduct.

Soon after he left HP, Hurd was hired by Oracle as one of its co-presidents alongside Safra Catz, replacing Charles Phillips, who left Oracle to be CEO of Infor. An Oracle spokeswoman also declined to comment on the Journal report.