By 1957, Hewlett-Packard employed more than 1,200 people and was expanding rapidly. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard recognized that HP could no longer rely solely on their direct oversight to maintain its culture. To preserve the values they had instilled since founding the company in 1939, they collaborated with other HP leaders to draft HP’s first written corporate objectives.

They introduced these objectives at HP’s first offsite meeting of senior managers, held over two days in January 1957 at the Sonoma Mission Inn. The six objectives blended practical business aims with enduring values. Among them was a commitment to advancing the science and practical application of electronics, ensuring that HP’s success would be measured by more than profits. Other objectives emphasized employee fulfillment and corporate citizenship, pledging opportunities for personal satisfaction and contributions to the broader community.

This new approach formalized what became known as the HP Way. It also pioneered the concept of “management by objective,” in which organizational goals are clearly defined and shared, then entrusted to employees to carry forward. Dave Packard later summarized the philosophy: “If we could get everybody to agree on what our objectives were and to understand what we were trying to do, then we could turn them loose and they would move in a common direction.”

The Sonoma Meeting set a precedent that shaped HP’s next decades of growth. Within 10 years, the company had launched international operations, made its first acquisitions and entered the computer business — all while guided by the objectives first articulated in Sonoma. The statement of objectives would be refined many times in HP’s history, but the values it expressed remained constant. The Sonoma Meeting stands as the moment when the HP Way became not just an idea, but a written foundation for one of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies.