Hewlett-Packard Co has ended merger talks with EMC Corp and may soon announce this development, deciding to walk away after months of fruitless negotiations, people briefed on the matter told Reuters. The official cessation of discussions to merge two of the tech industry’s largest enterprise-oriented firms may come as a disappointment to activist investors Elliott Management, which has pushed hard for storage products maker EMC to pursue merger or spinoff opportunities. Pressure is building on EMC as rival technology companies, such as eBay Inc and Symantec, begin spinning off operations in an attempt to unlock shareholder value, become more agile, and capitalize on faster-growing businesses.
