Former boss of Intel dies at 66
Otellini was the first non-engineer to take the helm at the company, having been the chief of staff to former CEO and co-founder Andy Grove before taking over in 2005. He moved the company from a focus on product groups to platfroms, and recognised the importance of the server market which is now the bedrock of Intel’s cloud operation. However, he also led the ill-fated move into the smartphone market, declining to build on the existing relationship with ARM by selling the Xscale business in 2006 and losing out to Qualcomm as a result.
In the last full year before he took over from Craig Barrett, Intel had $34 billion in sales; eight years later, by 2012, that had grown to $53 billion.
“We are deeply saddened by Paul’s passing,” said current CEO Brian Krzanich. “He was the relentless voice of the customer in a sea of engineers, and he taught us that we only win when we put the customer first.”
Otellini received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco in 1972 and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974. He joined Intel in 1974 and served in a number of positions, including general manager of Intel’s Peripheral Components Operation and the Folsom Microcomputer Division, and in 1989 as then-CEO Andy Grove’s chief of staff.
From 1990 to 2002, he held various positions at Intel, including executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, responsible for the company’s microprocessor and chipset businesses and strategies for desktop, mobile and enterprise computing, as well as executive vice president and general manager of the Sales and Marketing Group. Otellini also served as chief operating officer from 2002 to 2005.
“Paul’s business acumen, optimism and dedication fueled our growth throughout his tenure as CEO,” Intel Chairman Andy Bryant said. “His tireless drive, discipline and humility were cornerstones of his leadership and live on in our company values to this day.”
Paul and his second wife, Sandy, were married for 30 years and he is survived by his wife, his son Patrick and his daughter Alexis.
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