, Columnist
Intel Is Off Life Support But Still Needs Intensive Care
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has his company on a tear after placating the White House.
Photographer: Annabelle Chih/Bloomberg
“Intel on the brink of death” was the headline from the influential semiconductor trade publication SemiAnalysis in December 2024. Days earlier, the chipmaker’s chief executive officer, Pat Gelsinger, had been unceremoniously sacked, never given the chance to reap the rewards of the turnaround he set in motion but struggled to execute.
A lot has changed since. Intel Corp. has a new leader in Lip-Bu Tan and an unexpected new investor in the US government — an arrangement made in the manner of a ransom payment after President Donald Trump declared suddenly one morning that Tan should be sacked.