Can the Intel Ship Remain Afloat after 4 missed Strategic Inflection Points. Let's Explore the Possibilities.

Intel’s last decade is like the story of a big, powerful ship that should’ve been the envy of the seas but somehow kept missing the mark. With a top-notch crew, all the fancy maps, and enough resources to rule the waters, it consistently got stuck in the shallows while its rivals sped ahead. Why? Because no one seemed to know who was steering the ship, and everyone was too busy pointing fingers instead of plotting a course. Let’s dive into how this mighty vessel got so far off track and why its troubles are now threatening to sink it.

1. Networking: Missing the Trade Route Boom

Intel spotted the growing demand for high-speed data center networking early—like discovering a promising trade route full of riches. It made big bets, buying Fulcrum Networks, Barefoot Networks, and even pieces of QLogic InfiniBand. But instead of turning those tools into a streamlined operation, Intel just kind of let them sit there, gathering dust.

• Meanwhile, companies like NVIDIA and Broadcom were busy building their fleets and locking down those lucrative routes.
• Intel’s problem wasn’t that it didn’t see the opportunity—it just couldn’t decide who was supposed to be in charge of making it happen. Without leadership, its networking ambitions fizzled out.

2. Programmable Silicon: A Ship Without a Mission

When Intel spent $16.7 billion on Altera, it was like commissioning a state-of-the-art ship meant to conquer new horizons. FPGAs (those fancy programmable chips) were supposed to be the future. But instead of putting them to work, Intel left them anchored at the dock.

• Over at AMD, their competing purchase of Xilinx became a roaring success because someone actually took the wheel and sailed the ship.
• At Intel, no one took ownership of Altera, and without a clear plan, this promising technology became just another wasted investment.

3. CPU Leadership: Stuck on Old Maps

Intel’s x86 processors ruled the market for years, like a trusty compass guiding every ship in the fleet. But when AMD came out with its EPYC Rome chips in 2019, it was like upgrading to GPS while Intel was still squinting at paper charts.

• Instead of innovating, Intel doubled down on its old ways, letting AMD and even ARM-based rivals grab huge chunks of market share.
• The lack of a clear captain to push for bold changes left Intel drifting while competitors sped ahead.
• The common denominator in both the Altera and the CPU failures was the lack of leadership and accountability from Sandra Rivera
• Moreover we pursuaded Bob Swan of the need for serious reforms to HR practices and A Groveian Cultural renewal. He assigned Sandra to put in a comprehensive fix and Sandra responded by having HR legal investigate it's own malfeasance and take no accountability for the ongoing sexual coercion and abuse of women and the character assasination of people who were willing to challenge their poor processes and practices. The culture has deteriorated further and we continue to get complaints from women who are being abused. HR's response continues to retaliate and discredit them. Several have been fired despite peers witnessing the abuse and being harassed themselves for speaking out.

4. AI: Ignoring the Lighthouse

The AI boom was like a lighthouse shining on the horizon, signaling the way to untold riches. Intel saw it coming and even made some big moves, buying Nervana Systems and later Habana Labs. But once again, the company couldn’t get its act together.

• Nervana and Habana both had potential, but Intel’s leadership didn’t know how to support them. Instead of giving these teams the tools and freedom to innovate, they got sidelined.
• NVIDIA, meanwhile, built an entire AI empire with its GPUs and CUDA ecosystem, leaving Intel scrambling to keep up. With no clear direction, Intel missed one of the biggest opportunities of the decade.

Financial Trouble: The Ship Starts Taking on Water

All these missed opportunities aren’t just a bunch of “could’ve, should’ve” moments—they’re now costing Intel real money. Manufacturing problems, like process capability and Cd targeting failures, have made it nearly impossible for Intel to produce chips profitably.

• These yield issues are expected to rack up $17 billion to $24 billion in losses by 2026,
• It’s like Intel’s once-mighty ship has sprung a leak, and instead of patching it, the crew is arguing about who’s supposed to grab the bucket.

The Bigger Problem: A Rudderless Ship

At the heart of all this chaos is a corporate culture where no one seems to know who’s in charge, and everyone avoids taking responsibility. It’s as if Intel’s ship has no captain—or maybe too many people trying to steer at once.

• In every missed opportunity, from networking to AI, Intel’s failure wasn’t due to a lack of resources or ideas. It was a failure of leadership. No one took ownership, and without a clear direction, the company drifted off course.
• Even with all its advantages—talented engineers, big budgets, and a legacy of innovation—Intel couldn’t turn potential into success because it couldn’t figure out how to work together.

What Needs to Change: Finding a Captain

If Intel wants to survive this storm and get back to being a leader, it’s going to need a captain—a strong, decisive leader who can cut through the noise and get everyone rowing in the same direction. Without someone to steer the ship, Intel’s future looks grim.

It’s time for Intel to stop arguing about who’s responsible and start focusing on what it takes to succeed. The company needs accountability, clear priorities, and a willingness to take bold risks. If it doesn’t act soon, Intel’s ship might sink under the weight of its own mismanagement, while its rivals sail off into the sunset with the treasures of the Semiconductor Industry.

The 4 most important vectors in the industry are financial, technical, operational and cultural and Intel is weak in all four areas. And the post modern woke culture is undermining and weakening the other three.

Sadly Intel's board is struggling badly to find someone to captain a ship under such disrepair and with such a beleaguered and wary crew. Lip Bu Tan has said no thanks and most of his industry peers have as well...

Brian Harrison would be an excelent choice with decades as an executive including FAB experience! I imagine he's enjoying running TSMC in Arizona; they execute flawlessly under his leadership once like Intel did 2 decades ago with him at the helm of TMG.