It is hard to nail down exactly when things started going poorly for Intel, but they definitely weren’t going well under Krzanich (engineering background) and I have trouble blaming Swan given the dysfunctional company he inherited. If Gelsinger pulls it all together, IMO Swam deserves some credit for laying a good foundation.
Intel has put out some interesting chips in the last couple years. Anyway, their dominant years set a pretty high bar, I don’t think we’ll see that again (I guess the aliens decided to start spreading around the technology they send).
I personally don't think that Swan and Krzanich did incredibly stupid things; I think it's just very hard to run a billion dollar corporation. A few mistakes, a few unlucky breaks, and a few bad decisions - yes, they made some - can really turn your fortunes bad fast. Having run a small business myself (two, actually), you realize how much a role luck, fortune, and randomness plays in your success and failure.
That said, if there's a person built for this job, Gelsinger is him. Life's better when this industry has competition.
Intel has put out some interesting chips in the last couple years. Anyway, their dominant years set a pretty high bar, I don’t think we’ll see that again (I guess the aliens decided to start spreading around the technology they send).