For many years, Intel was a leader in the computer chip industry. However, over the last decade, the company has struggled. According to former Intel managers, employee morale is very low. Workers inside Intel feel discouraged, and the excitement for their work has faded. Hiring new talent has also become tough because many people do not want to join a company that is trying to recover rather than grow.
The article explains that recent changes at Intel have made employees worried about their jobs. Some are concerned because new hires seem to be getting better pay, while existing workers are afraid they might lose their positions. Intel's leadership has tried to introduce new ideas and is bringing in experienced engineers, but the new approach is not easing everyone's concerns.
Intel shifted its focus from being led by engineers to making business decisions based on finance. This change led to several poor choices, including not making chips for Apple's iPhone and struggling to compete in the growing field of artificial intelligence. Now, Intel is trying to become a company that is fast, flexible, and productive. The company is even working closely with Nvidia, another well known chip maker, and has had to adapt to the US government becoming a new major stakeholder.
The story highlights how Intel's new CEO, Lip Bu Tan, wants to change the company's culture to be more like Nvidia's. However, these changes are shocking to some employees, especially the shift toward only investing in new chip technology if there is clear customer interest. This is very different from Intel's old strategy of building new technology first and seeing who buys it later.
Despite these problems, Intel has shown that it can still make quality products, like its newest Lunar Lake processors. The article also compares Intel's situation to AMD, one of its biggest competitors. A decade ago, many people thought AMD would not survive. But with new leadership, AMD has grown much stronger and is now worth even more than Intel.
In the end, Intel's future is uncertain. The company may serve as an example of how to fix a struggling business, or it may become a lesson in how even the largest companies can lose their lead. For now, everyone is watching to see if Intel can turn things around.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/intels-morale-is-reportedly-in-the-toilet-as-the-chip-maker-strives-to-be-really-lean-fast-moving/
