Last week, President Trump called for the dismissal of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan over “highly CONFLICTED” ties to China, further escalating an already difficult situation for the executive.
Today, following a meeting, Trump appeared to soften his stance, even if partially.
A quick recap
Before joining Intel, Tan worked as CEO for Cadence Design Systems, a firm that just pleaded guilty to an investigation by the Justice Department over charges of “selling its chip-design products to a Chinese military university,” per the Wall Street Journal’s description.
To make matters worse, Tan was also the subject of a Reuters investigation, which found that he had “invested in hundreds of Chinese tech firms, including at least eight with links to the People’s Liberation Army”.
Meanwhile, inside Intel, Tan’s relationship with the board had grown increasingly strained, given his sweeping cuts to projects, personnel, and long-term plans since taking over as CEO.
When President Trump called for his dismissal last week, many assumed it would push Intel to a new breaking point. Yet despite internal tensions, the company publicly stood by its CEO.
Tan also sent a letter to employees reaffirming his commitment to the U.S. and Intel and pledged to work with the administration to clear the air. That’s what today’s meeting was about.
Tan appears to have won this round, but the hard part may not be over
As noted by Bloomberg, Trump appears to have come out of the meeting with a much more optimistic view of the executive, according to a post he made on Truth Social:
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