Are you a football fan? The CEO job at HP right now is pretty much like the head coach job with the Oakland Raiders. It's a completely dysfunctional organization. If you succeed you're the genius that was able to turn it around. If you don't then Al Davis takes the blame and you get a free pass. You get paid either way. And you have to remember there are only 32 head coaching jobs available so it's great work if you can't get the same job with another team.
Being CEO of one of the world's largest companies is a similarly exclusive club. Who wouldn't take that job?