Hewlett-Packard Picks Apotheker as CEO; Shares Fall

Leo Apotheker, Hewlett-Packard Co.’s new chief executive officer, brings two decades of software expertise that may help the biggest computer maker add applications to hardware and step up rivalry with Oracle Corp.

Apotheker spent most of his career at SAP AG, the biggest maker of business-management software. He cut costs and led some of SAP’s biggest acquisitions as sole CEO.