What happened to Intel?

 

On Monday, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger unexpectedly announced his retirement after less than four years in the role. But the real story emerged quickly—according to reports from Reuters, Bloomberg, and The New York Times, Gelsinger didn’t step down voluntarily; the board forced him out.

Gelsinger had unveiled an ambitious plan to turn Intel around in four years, yet now finds himself ousted before he could see it through. His departure was so sudden that Intel hasn't named a successor, and he won’t even stay on as an adviser—he's completely gone.

Intel has been struggling for years. The company missed the smartphone revolution, has been plagued by persistent quality control issues, lost major customers like Apple, and now risks falling behind in the race for AI dominance. Gelsinger’s abrupt exit only adds to the turbulence as Intel faces mounting challenges in the tech industry.