Walter Hewlett Maintains Hope, Says Bears No Ill Will

Hewlett-Packard claimed victory at an earlier press conference, with HP CEO Carly Fiorina saying the margin of victory was "slim but sufficient."

No matter the outcome, Hewlett declared the vote a victory for proving the accountability companies owe to stockholders.

He says he was very pleased with the way meeting was conducted and is certain that the voting count is being done properly.

Hewlett entered the meeting to a standing ovation.

"I was very surprised by the support in the room," he said.

But the proxy fight was ugly and often got personal.

"I have taken nothing in this campaign personally," Hewlett said. "The only thing I have taken personally is the drop in the stock price."

When asked what he would do now that the stockholder vote is in, he said, "I fully expect to resume my life as an academic and a musician," to laughs from the audience and in reference to Fiorina calling him a dilettante academic and musician who "flip-flopped" in his decisions.

"The past five months have been a remarkable period in my life," Hewlett said. "This is not what I normally do. I feel like I have stepped out of my life and into an alternate universe."

Hewlett does plan on remaining on the HP board.

"I think I can add value to the company," he said. "I'm feeling like I really did accomplish something. And it very well may be that the merger has been turned down."

He told reporters that they should not expect any press conferences from him in the near future but that they will see him giving the keynote address at an Institutional Shareholder Services conference on March 25.

ISS, which advises about 700 funds on how to vote in proxy battles, backed HP's merger with Compaq.

As for the future of HP, Hewlett said it is not a company in crisis and has a promising future.