A couple of interesting (but opinionated and subjective) takes on Intel in general from a 7 month old Intel retiree's post:
Person 1:
Another Intel retiree here! 28 years and like many, I was fortunate to qualify for enhanced retirement and took some time to reflect. My years at Intel revealed how its environment often hindered my growth and happiness. Frequent reorgs, toxic engineering managers, office politics, and long, draining night meetings took a toll. I'm excited to now focus on goals that truly align with my passions. Intel, for me, was always more of a means to an end—a stable place to raise a family. I met my husband, got married, and raised our daughter during my time here, and for that, I'm grateful. But it was always just a job, never a source of inspiration or purpose. While I've had the privilege of working with remarkable people, the workplace has dramatically shifted. I witnessed many changes, starting under Andy Grove the company was entirely different, but the culture has rotted drastically under Pat. There's been a loss of transparency, motivation, and respect, largely due to executive leadership. Too many layers of toxic managers are building fiefdoms, stifling innovation and progress. I remember a 2022 meeting with Gordon Moore where he told Pat, "Don't screw it up." Sadly, his advice seems to have been ignored. Program managers like me have often been overlooked, and undermined. Pat's comment calling us "checkers" was unfortunate and misinformed. PMs are the glue that holds projects together, but we've been undervalued for many years. I've seen firsthand how this lack of support has slowed progress and caused missed opportunities across Intel.
Person 2:
As a long term Intel engineer, I disagree that "program managers are the glue that holds projects together". I've seen one or two that actually helped, but most were just pushing powerpoint slides and excel spreadsheets and hammering developers without ever offering to help or find resources to help.
I was a victim of the 2016 purge (Columbia, SC site closure was one result) thanks to BK (forced to choose between family and Intel--I chose family and glad I did), returning two years ago. I think Pat's doing a pretty good job despite being handed a mess due to decades of mismanagement.
Re program managers, during my exile from Intel I saw very effective program managers at other companies. Not so much at Intel.