Newsletter Archives

• Gelsinger is out

  Posted on December 5, 2024 at 16:11 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  
  On December 2, Intel Announced that long-time Intel engineer and CEO since 2021 Patrick (“Pat”) Gelsinger had retired from the company, effective December 1, 2024.

  Whether this “retirement” was voluntary or forced is open to question. However, he was replaced instantly with two interim appointments, David Zinser and Michelle (MJ) Johnston Holthaus, serving as co-chief executive officers. He also stepped down from his position on the board of directors. The speed of the action, just a month after Intel announced weak third-quarter financial results, suggests that the company desired a new direction.

  Mr. Gelsinger, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, had a long career, including Intel accomplishments such as the original 80486 processor, 14 other processors, and the Core and Xeon lines. During his 30 years at Intel, he became a highly regarded executive. But it appears that Intel’s recent troubles in manufacturing and chip architecture were overwhelming.

  There is already speculation about whether Zinser or Holthaus will become the next CEO. This may depend upon whether the board thinks the problems are financial, managerial, or technical. The elevation of Zinser/Holthaus would seem to signal finance and management because neither co-CEO has an engineering background. What this means for Intel’s Foundry business, which has also not performed as expected, is uncertain. The selection of an outsider as the next CEO is not out of the question.

  Intel and its processor architectures have long been the cornerstone of Windows. The rise of both Qualcomm and AMD, along with the foundry excellence at TSMC, could signal a sea change.

  Intel Intel, Management, News, Silicon

• Managing remote workers

  Posted on April 13, 2020 at 01:05 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  SMALL BUSINESS COMPUTING

  By Amy Babinchak

  These past few weeks have been difficult on everyone, but they’re taking an additional toll on IT professionals.

  These pros have been putting in long hours helping users get set up to work from home. For example, my techs have been working 14-hour days seven days a week to get the businesses we support back on their feet.

  Fortunately, we have some experience with remote work. My staff has always spent about 70 percent of their workday in their home offices and about 30 percent at our clients’ locations. Now they’re working 100 percent from home.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.14.0 (2020-04-13).

  Small Business Computing AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Management, Remote workers, Work-from-home