'This is not unlocking shareholder value, it's a fire sale': Jim Keller weighs in on a possible 'careless' Intel chip and fab spin-off
Love it or hate it, if President Trump's tariff-heavy threats have done one thing it's show the world that the US is serious about its chip industry. And if one company is synonymous with the US chip industry, it's Intel. But there are some tides that might be too strong to turn despite a new US administration, and it seems at least some are worried that this might describe Intel.
After plenty of back-and-forth speculation about the possibility of various companies buying up parts of Intel, ex-AMD engineer and current Tenstorrent CEO Jim Keller has thrown his hat into the ring of opinion. Responding to an X post saying the Intel board «reportedly wants to sell off the company to unlock (likely one-time) shareholder value», Keller argues that «this is not unlocking shareholder value, it's a fire sale.»
you build value by having a great goal and a team that loves working to the goal.Intel built the fastest cpus on the best process.this is not unlocking shareholder value, it's a fire salehttps://t.co/ele5GXyLudit makes me sadFebruary 18, 2025
«It makes me sad,» Keller says, in a tone reminiscent of Bill Gates's recent lamentation over Intel's (and specifically Pat Gelsinger's) apparent failure to turn the company around. Rather than splitting up and selling off the company, the ex-AMD chip boffin has a more traditional value-building strategy in mind: «You build value by having a great goal and a team that loves working to the goal. Intel built the fastest CPUs on the best process.»
Further driving the point home, he posts again, saying: «I think a great Intel is worth $1 trillion. Seems a little careless to throw it away.» The implication being, to me at least, let's make Intel great again.
We can probably assume that's what the Trump administration will be thinking, too—add a MIGA to its MAGA, why not? A strong Intel means a strong US chip industry, and the alternative is selling off an Intel chipmaker to foreign companies, presumably tariffing the resultant chips
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