5ish - In(tel) Command
I finally got around to watching the “Intel Unleashed” presentation from March. While I’m far from an expert on Intel, like a lot of folks in tech, I’m fascinated by the potential for a comeback story here — both because I think it will make for a compelling narrative, but also an important one given where Intel sits (figuratively and historically: at the center of the computing industry, and quite literally: in the US). It has also seemed to be a bit of a shitshow in recent years. While still a massive business obviously, it feels a bit like an anagnorisis situation. That is, Wile E. Coyote has run over the cliff and is about to drop but doesn’t realize it yet… The good news seems to be that new CEO Pat Gelsinger clearly gets this. And perhaps just as importantly, he clearly cares about this, as someone who worked at Intel for 30 years and has now returned to right the ship. And most important still, he seems to have a plan. And to be in command of the situation. That’s the key takeaway in watching his comments here. I’m reminded of a post I wrote five years ago, revisiting a Q&A session Steve Jobs did with Apple employees back in 1997, as he had yes, returned to the company to right the ship. This comparison is undoubtedly unfair — Gelsinger, for one thing, wasn’t a founder of Intel; then again, neither was Andy Grove, Gelsinger’s mentor whom he must channel here in this task — but it feels like the apt one to make. My takeaway from the Jobs video was just how in command he was. Of the issues, of the technology, of the company, of the moment.¹ Gelsinger’s presentation here is entirely different. For one thing, it’s an actual presentation and not a Q&A. Still, the same thing is conveyed: just how in command he is. And perhaps even more so than Jobs, just how enthusiastic he is about the opportunity here. It’s perhaps more a political stump speech in its vibe — meant as much for Intel employees as anyone else — but it’s nonetheless infectious. The parallels here also feel even stronger since it’s Apple first and foremost who has been at the forefront of embarrassing Intel on the consumer-facing front. Not only is the company in the process of abandoning the x86 chips, but they’re doing so with their own in-house-designed ARM-based chips. And they smoke you-know-who. Dopey ads are not the way to respond to such pwning. This is. Great Stuff
💻 Intel’s Hail MarySpeaking of the Intel shitshow, here’s a deep-dive Ian King and Tom Giles did for Bloomberg into what exactly went wrong, starting with saying ‘no’ to the iPhone, but more so the entire Brian Krzanich era, it would seem… 📺 When Everything Is ParamountJulia Alexander explains just how complicated the streaming business is getting with ViacomCBS going all-in, but also not with Paramount+… 🌋 The End of Silicon Valley as We Know It?Tim O’Reilly on the macro trends that are shaping and accelerating the shift away from Silicon Valley as the sole power center in tech… ⚛️ Hunting Ghost Particles Beneath the World’s Deepest LakeAnton Troianovski explores a science experiment happening in Russia’s Lake Baikal:
Whoa… 🤐 The Pandemic’s Wrongest ManDerek Thompson explores the jackassery of Alex Berenson… Fun Stuff
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👑 Royals, FlushThe meta brilliance and annoyance of the Oprah interview ✈️ At Home, On the RoadThe brilliance of Rick Steves’ ‘Monday Night Travel’ 🔊 I Was Right That Apple Was WrongRest in peace, HomePod 🔴 OS X, 20 Years LaterMy god, it has been that long 🏢 We Have To Go BackOn the return to the office… 🎟 The Apple ShowSome thoughts on Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’ event… 22 Years…1 I’m also reminded of an interview Satya Nadella did at the Code Conference back in 2014, shortly after taking over at CEO of Microsoft. It was pretty clear he was also in command and ready to right the ship. And he has. |
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