Brian Krzanich out as CEO of Intel

Bob Swan is in the new hot seat

Intel LogoIt looks like Intel’s CEO Brian Krzanich is out, replaced by Bob Swan. SemiAccurate thinks there is a lot more to this story than a past consensual relationship though.

In a terse release today, Intel said exactly what SemiAccurate just said, just in a lot longer form. Officially BK violated Intel’s non-fraternization policy, something which SemiAccurate strongly doubts lead to this ousting but it sure makes a good cover story. That said, technically it is a firing offense, but given the conduct of past people in the same seat and the consensual nature claimed, it should have revived a low end of the scale punishment.

Why do we claim this is a cover? Intel’s 10nm process flat out doesn’t work. The company is about to lose huge chunks of their core server market to AMD and has no way out. Their current efforts to hold the line and prop up margins have seriously alienated customers and there is no end in sight for the slide. To make matters worse, their roadmaps are a complete mess and change faster than the ink can dry. Some have even suggested that Mr Krzanich knew the train was about to run off the rails, we sure did.

When times are tough and faith is about the only thing holding your stock at it’s current highs, the last thing you want to do is fire your CEO for cause. Intel has some very smart people on their board and in upper management, they know this. That said they needed to do something and, well, a slap on the wrist offense becomes an interim CEO. There is much more to this than a simple consensual affair, when the depths of Intel’s woes become clear, so will the reasons behind this transition.S|A

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Charlie Demerjian

Roving engine of chaos and snide remarks at SemiAccurate
Charlie Demerjian is the founder of Stone Arch Networking Services and SemiAccurate.com. SemiAccurate.com is a technology news site; addressing hardware design, software selection, customization, securing and maintenance, with over one million views per month. He is a technologist and analyst specializing in semiconductors, system and network architecture. As head writer of SemiAccurate.com, he regularly advises writers, analysts, and industry executives on technical matters and long lead industry trends. Charlie is also available through Guidepoint and Mosaic. FullyAccurate