In his first statements as the new CEO of Intel, Lip-Bu Tan outlined a leaner version of the chip manufacturer. According to Reuters, he indicated that he wants to work directly with engineers to develop new products based on customer feedback.
Tan took over at Intel earlier this month. The company once had a market share of over 90% in PCs and data center servers. However, in recent years, it has lost ground to rivals such as Nvidia.
During Intel’s Vision event in Las Vegas, where the company discussed its products with customers, Tan said he spent his first weeks in the job talking to customers. He said Intel fell short of their expectations in many areas. He, therefore, encouraged them to be as honest and critical as possible because he believes that tough feedback is the most valuable.
Cutting middle management
Reuters reported that Tan intends to eliminate a slow and bloated middle management layer. On Monday this week, he again emphasized that he wants to give more power to Intel’s engineers. He stated that new ideas within the company have not been given sufficient room to develop and grow in recent years.
Tan indicated that he prioritizes stimulating innovation and wants to give engineers more freedom to innovate within the company. He said that his weekends are often filled with conversations with engineers and architects who, he believes, have brilliant ideas and want to change the world. The CEO made clear that that excites him and motivates him to work closely with them.
Tan also stated that his main focus is on attracting and retaining engineers. He acknowledged that Intel has recently lost a lot of talent and considers it a top priority to bring back or attract the best talent in the industry.