This week marked 5 years since the passing of ex-Intel CEO Paul Otellini. It brought back fond memories of a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many. Below are the remembrances I penned when I first heard of his passing.
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Today is a sad day. Many I know are mourning the passing of an American icon. A global legend in his field who touched so many lives. Gone too soon at the age of 66, when he still had so much to give. Tom Petty may have captured the hearts and minds of a generation looking to find its voice. But it was Paul Otellini who inspired many to discover themselves and have an impact well after their journey on earth was done.
It seems strange, even cruel, to refer to Paul in the past tense. Having spent 40 years at Intel, and 8 years as CEO, Paul is an inextricable part of the Intel ethos — just like his legendary predecessors Gordon Moore & Andy Grove. But while Gordon understood the transformative power of semiconductors, and Grove channeled Intel’s competitive juices, Paul knew it took customers — many customers — to unlock the company’s true potential and fulfill its destiny.
Paul famously declared — Intel wins when our customers win — and epitomized that culture of customer orientation whether it was winning the pivotal IBM account in his early years, or landing that last x86 holdout, Apple.
And there was no place Paul enjoyed being the most than on the stage of Intel’s annual sales conference. The joy on his face when he celebrated a major design win or hitting a revenue milestone was infectious and an inspiration for all of us battling for business in the trenches.
Paul was often spoken in the press as Intel’s first ‘non-engineer’ CEO. If that characterization bothered him, he never showed it. The truth is, he was probably the sharpest pupil of Intel’s engineering challenges and was actively engaged in guiding the company through every obstacle we faced — the race to 1GHz, hitting the power wall, the Opteron threat, the rise of mobile phones and the slowing of the PC TAM to name a few. And while he may not have understood every detail of our complex manufacturing, he was its biggest cheerleader. I recall an analyst once asking him about why Intel didn’t take many risks. Paul responded — ‘Every year, we dig a hole in the ground the size of two football fields. We pour concrete in that hole to build state of the art fabs, equip the building with billions of dollars of equipment to build products on technology that hasn’t been fully invented as yet, for markets that don’t yet exist. If that’s not risk taking, I don’t know what is!’. Paul was proud of the big bets Intel made, and strongly believed that setting the pace for our industry’s innovation was Intel’s birthright.
As convicted and inspiring as Paul was about the company’s direction and our opportunities, Paul knew he wasn’t infallible. He famously shared his regret at not being able to close the iPhone design win on Intel Architecture because he failed to listen to his ‘gut’ instinct over (as it turned out flawed) financial analysis.
Paul’s open and honest style was endearing and won him many fans. And he had a way to turn around even his harshest detractors. When Paul was recruited to address the need for more American engineers on President Obama’s jobs Council, an employee openly challenged him during an open forum saying he didn’t appreciate the Intel CEO being a ‘puppet of the administration, rather than working in the interest of shareholders’. There was a palpable gasp in the room as employees braced for awkwardness. There was none. Without batting an eyelid, Paul said ‘I typically don’t reveal my political affiliation as I don’t think it is relevant to the work I do here at Intel. But you should know I am a red-blooded Republican who did not vote for this President. Yet I grew up in an age where, when your President comes asking for your service, regardless of your political affiliation, you click your heels and say — yes, Mr. President. Especially if this is good not only for our country, but also for Intel. Which this clearly is.’ The room broke into thunderous applause. That’s when I realized they don’t give these CEO jobs to just anyone! Later that year, President Obama visited Intel to marvel at the work happening in TMG — the first time a sitting president visited Intel. That it happened under Paul’s leadership is no coincidence.
Paul was an Intel ambassador both at home and around the world. Between roadmap reviews, corporate strategic discussions, board meetings, investor calls, customer 5x5s,Paul always made the time to travel to visit Intel employees and customers in every geo. We would travel to one geo every quarter where Paul would relentlessly promote Intel’s interests with governments and our global accounts. But the favorite part of Paul’s travels was meeting with employees and his now famous open forums. Nothing was off limits, and he answered every qs with honesty, intellect and good humor. And the affection he received was always spontaneous and genuine. He took the time to ask simple questions of employees, of their work, even of their families and remarkably remembered every detail. I never fully understood the importance of these visits, till one day an employee from Taiwan stopped him during an encounter at the demo showcase at the Intel sales conference. The employee hugged Paul and thanked him for the advice of sending his child to engineering school. The child had now graduated and was doing very well for himself and his family. The employee said, if it were not for you, he was headed for a business degree, but when he heard the Intel CEO say engineering would be a better option for a brighter future, he changed his mind, and they were very thankful for the advice. I’m not sure even Paul fully understood the life changing impact of these seemingly small encounters. But it came naturally to him, and there are many, many families across Intel that are better for it.
In 2013, after 8 years at the helm, leading Intel’s growth from $32B to $53B, Paul decided to turn over the reins. When asked about the timing of his decision, esp since Intel was in the throes of grappling with the industry’s shift to mobility, Paul harkened back to an Intelism that had guided his CEO tenure — ‘Change before you have to’. Whether it was transitioning from memory to microprocessors, 286 to 386 (the famous Red X campaign), or investing through the downturn, Intel has always made tough choices in
the present because they catalyzed a brighter future. Paul knew that having shepherded Intel’s growth through the era of the microprocessor, it was time to hand over the reigns to a new generation of leaders and employees who would write the next chapter in Intel’s history. In one of his most inspiring speeches a Leadership Summit after announcing his retirement, he used the words and imagery of JFK’s challenge to put a man on the moon. He reiterated his vision that it is this company’s destiny to be a $100 billion company — with or without him. And he reminded us all of the boldness that would be required to get there.
There is a wonderful quote that points out - ‘The final test of a leader is what he leaves behind in others… in their conviction to carry on and succeed.’ If that’s the final test of a leader… Paul Otellini has passed it with flying colors.
I consider it one of my life’s honors to have known and worked alongside Paul. My heart aches for those he leaves behind, especially his wife Sandy and their loving family, and I pray they have the strength to bear this untimely loss.
In the words of another American icon with whom Paul shared his earthly journey — ‘You and I will meet again, when we’re least expecting it. One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face. I won’t say goodbye my friend. For you and I will meet again.’
