Livermore has been at HP since 1982 and has worked in a variety of sales, marketing, and research and development jobs before being elected a corporate vice president in 1995.

In 1998, when head of HP's software and services business, the company's top executives agreed to put themselves through a 360-degree evaluation.

Livermore observed: "I learned that I'm a very, very well-controlled executive, but that my employees like when I go off the handle every once in a while, you know, show my human side - It reinforced that leadership means touching people's hearts as well as their brains, so since then I haven't worried so much about keeping my lid on.

[8] In the wake of HP pressuring employees to accept a 5% pay cut, it was revealed that Livermore's 2008 total compensation amounted to $20,551,493.

[citation needed] With Mark Hurd's August 2010 departure, Livermore was once again a possible candidate for the top job, however lost out to former SAP CEO, Léo Apotheker.

She was reportedly forced out since total services revenue had grown just 1% in the most recent fiscal year, despite the earlier acquisition of EDS in 2008.