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Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

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Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#321

Intel's IT department is so big it was for me to believe it. On the other hand I am pretty amazed that they were so serious about keeping internal application communication encrypted end to end, in every layer.

They're likely a very juicy target for economic espionage.

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the sense of VR/4K the CPU is way less important than the GPU and we still have some headroom on those even with existing process, what will be interesting is when everyone else's process catches up with where Intel is now, they've generally stayed out in front of everyone else for a long time (except AMD for a spell). I'm really looking forwards to VR if it catches on though, having an insanely high resolution he…

Not quite about that last part. Clock rates have been more or less stationary over the last decade or so. What Intel has been focusing on for some time is cache, and how to practically always have the right data in the cache at the right time. but yes, having more transistors to work with do allow them to pack more cache onto the die.

Yeah that wasn't perhaps very clear, I meant historically they ramped the clock up (back in the P4 days).

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#323
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they can't sell computers in the digital age where software has taken over everything, you can think whatever you want but that does reflect poorly on the economy. Yes, many factors are at play. It is still a terrible sign.

More computers are being sold than ever before. The market is absolutely saturated with computing devices. And aside from the intense competition Intel is facing, they're suffering the same issue that the GPU makers face -- I once upgraded yearly because the gains made it worthwhile. Now I upgrade pretty much only when something fails. It is absolutely picking a narrative.

That's precisely the "issue", and it's only a problem if you make it a problem. The early-adopter and rapid-early-development churn is slowing down because processor technology is maturing and has reached full market penetration, so the market for new devices is shrinking. It's like a hotdog stand calling it a "market crash" when they've sold everyone a hotdog and nobody's hungry after lunchtime.

The automotive industry faced the same issue a long time ago, and their solution was to turn cars into a fashion statement. You no longer upgrade your car because your old one is worn out, you upgrade to signal your wealth through conspicuous consumption. The mobile phone market is somewhat the same way. The desktop PC market? Not so much.

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#324
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

clearly, no.

HN's scoring algorithm should ignore or discount upvotes if the user did not click on the article link before voting. For extra credit, HN could also watch for page visibility changes that would indicate that the user, in addition to opening the article, also switched to that the article tab. :)

I sometimes read an article at work or home, and then later read the comments and upvote later at home or work. Don't assume that everyone operates the machine the same way you do, nor with the same goals.

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#325
post #39

So Intel is cutting 11% of its workforce, Goldman Sachs just reported a 56% drop in profits, Morgan Stanley had a 50% drop in profits, Netflix missed subscriber growth estimates etc... yet, the Dow just hit a 9-Month high, and the S&P500 is now above 2100. The whole market is overvalued, not just the tech unicorns.

The market movement can be explained somewhat by the fed's rate hike expectations changing (worsening economic conditions means that the fed is more cautious about raising rates, so discount rates are lower and valuation models are higher). It's also about what the market expected earnings to be. Yes, the tech earnings are beating up the NASDAQ, but people actually expected worse from the financial sector given the very low rates.

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#328

Intel ranks #14 in H1B use and was a large proponent of the bill to increase the allowance foreign tech workers. So I'm assuming their inability to find 'talent' is no longer an issue? Same as Microsoft, IBM, and the numerous other big corps that have had massive layoffs recently, while also claiming an inability to find enough US tech workers?

You're assuming that the 11% is coming from roles that are so hard to hire for it becomes more economical to look overseas for the talent--is that true?

In other words, I think it's just worth pointing out that Intel's a huge company and it might be that these layoffs are coming from roles where market demand is lower.

Re: Intel to Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight

#329

A good friend was laid off from Intel during their last round of layoffs. Without going to into details that would identify my friend, he was laid off after losing a game of internal politics. His division's vice president even apologized to him for his layoff. My friend's story gave me the impression of Intel being a highly dysfunctional company. My friend was sad to leave Intel, but I think it was good for him in t…

As Andy Glew said, "Only the paranoid survive." I was part of a section laid off en masse under similar circumstances. Our group got a paper "award" for cross-team collaboration, and the partner group got to keep their jobs.

The severance was decent, and my new job pays twice as much, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

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