Intel has been in a tailspin for years. It missed the smartphone revolution, has been plagued by quality control issues with its chips, lost customers like Apple to alternative processors, and now is at risk of missing out on AI, too.
If Intel is falling apart, this isn't just a business story. The United States government has called it a national security story, too. Intel isn't just the world's former leading maker of computer chips; it's one of the last companies to both design and manufacture them itself instead of outsourcing the latter part to Asia. It's one of the only levers the US can pull to reduce dependence on Taiwan for chips, should China decide to exert control. Some of that might be in jeopardy because of what Intel's management has or hasn't done -- or might newly be in jeopardy now that the board has kicked Gelsinger out.