Brian Krzanich's return to the CEO lounge has gone down like a lead balloon. The former Intel boss, who famously resigned after a highly publicized relationship with a subordinate, not to mention a botched 10nm chip rollout, has landed himself a new job at AI-driven automotive startup Cerence.
Yet rather than giving Cerence a pat on the back for the big name hire, the appointment of Brian has triggered backlash so fierce that Cerence opted for the nuclear option: disabling all comments on LinkedIn to stop the torrent of criticism over his recruitment.
For anyone who followed Intel's stumbles over the past decade, Krzanich's name still rings with the unmistakable clang of bad management decisions and missed opportunities. While he was overseeing Intel, the company's long-standing domination in the semiconductor market started to unravel. Perhaps the biggest fumble of his tenure at Chipzilla was its catastrophic 10nm process delays, a foible that saw Intel miss critical market windows which handed competitors like AMD the opportunity to pounce.
Intel, once the undisputed heavyweight champ of chipmaking, but under Krzanich's reign, the company went from a market leader to an Epyc loser. By the time Krzanich resigned in 2018, Intel was left frantically sweeping up the mess, especially after the 10nm debacle that became a masterclass in "how not to run a tech giant." However, Krzanich's downfall wasn't just about Intel's technical faceplants; he resigned after his "consensual relationship" with an employee was made public, a clear violation of Intel's strict no-fraternization policy. While officially tagged as an "ethical breach," many saw it as a symptom of a bigger problem.
So more to the now than the past, what is it that Cerence thinks Krzanich brings to the table? The company, which specializes in AI-powered voice assistants for vehicles, believes that Krzanich's experience of running a global tech juggernaut will help steer it through the competitive AI automotive landscape.
If the bet made on Krzanich by Cerence was meant to be a low-key acquisition, it seems to have miscalculated. As soon as the appointment was announced, the LinkedIn comments section exploded with tech industry insiders and a chorus of critics quick to remind the world of Krzanich's less-than-stellar track record. And Cerence's response to all this? It disabled all comments - everywhere.
Here is just one of the comments on LinkedIn, a quip from one of Intel's ex principal engineers, François Piednoël de Normandie:
Krzanich's stint at Intel, complete with all its baggage, is still fresh in the minds of the tech world. If Cerence thought it could sneak this appointment past everyone, it has underestimated how long the industry's memory can be.
So there we have it, regardless of what standing Cerence has in the automotive industry or how good its voice assistant and AI products may be, all the buzz right now is on its flagship appointment of Krzanich. While the company seemingly doesn't care too much about what the broader community thinks of the hire, we wish Cerence all the best with its new CEO, and whatever success or turbulence comes as a consequence. ®
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