Layoffs and Outsourced AI Marketing

Once the undisputed titan of the semiconductor world, Intel finds itself at a critical juncture. After years of ceding ground to nimble competitors and grappling with internal inefficiencies, the chipmaker is embarking on yet another ambitious recovery effort, this time under the leadership of its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan.

Tan’s tenure has begun with a series of decisive, and at times brutal, strategic shifts, most notably a sweeping round of layoffs and a radical move to outsource Intel’s marketing functions to Accenture’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Let’s delve into these pivotal decisions and their potential impact on Intel’s long-term stability, employee morale, and brand identity.

Then, we’ll close with my Product of the Week: a new tablet from Wacom, the MovinkPad 11.

Turnaround Playbook: Layoffs and Leadership

In March 2025, Lip-Bu Tan’s appointment as CEO signaled a clear intent for a rapid, aggressive turnaround at Intel. Known for his deep industry contacts and a philosophy of achieving “the most done with the fewest people,” Tan wasted no time in implementing his vision.

A cornerstone of this strategy has been a massive reduction in force, with reports indicating cuts of approximately 21% to 25% of Intel’s total workforce, impacting over 10,000 employees globally, and specifically 2,392 positions in Oregon alone. These layoffs are part of a broader plan to streamline operations, reduce management layers, and improve per-employee revenue and margins.

From a classical management perspective, initiating a large-scale layoff at the outset of a new CEO’s term, especially during a turnaround, is often considered a best practice. It allows the latest leader to quickly reset the cost structure, signal a serious commitment to change, and attribute the painful but necessary actions to the “old guard” or the challenging market conditions.

This approach aims to create a leaner, more agile organization, theoretically better positioned for future growth. Tan himself has described these layoffs as the start of a “marathon” effort to make Intel more nimble, similar to its rivals, such as AMD and Nvidia.

However, for Intel, this latest round of job cuts carries a unique and potentially problematic weight. A series of significant layoffs has plagued the company in recent years. In August 2024, under the leadership of former CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel eliminated 15,000 jobs, representing over 15% of its workforce at the time. That followed another substantial reduction of 12,000 workers in 2022.

The current cuts represent the third major layoff round in just over a year. Such repeated and extensive workforce reductions can have a corrosive effect on employee loyalty, retention of critical talent, and overall efficiency. Employees who survive multiple rounds of layoffs often experience “survivor’s guilt,” increased stress, and a pervasive sense of insecurity, leading to reduced engagement and productivity.

The continuous instability could further destabilize a company already struggling with morale and talent drain, making the path to recovery even more arduous.

Marketing’s Decline: The Fading Echo of ‘Intel Inside’

For decades, Intel’s marketing prowess was legendary, largely thanks to the visionary leadership of Dennis Carter. As Intel’s then-marketing chief, Carter spearheaded the iconic “Intel Inside” campaign launched in 1991. This campaign transformed Intel from a behind-the-scenes component supplier into a household name, creating a powerful brand identity that resonated with consumers.

The familiar “bong” sound and the “Intel Inside” sticker became synonymous with quality and innovation, driving billions in chip sales and establishing a new paradigm for ingredient branding in the tech industry.

However, after Dennis Carter retired in 2000, Intel’s marketing luster began to fade. The company struggled to replicate the consistent, impactful messaging that had defined its golden age. Over the years, Intel’s marketing efforts became less cohesive, often failing to effectively communicate its technological advancements or counter the rising narratives of competitors.

More recently, Intel has faced challenges in retaining a stable chief marketing officer (CMO). While specific details on CMO churn are not publicly detailed in recent reports, the broader context of organizational flux and strategic shifts often correlates with leadership instability in key functions like marketing.

This lack of consistent, long-term leadership in marketing has undoubtedly contributed to a perceived decline in the company’s brand strength and market presence.

Intel’s Marketing Gamble With Accenture AI

Against this backdrop of past marketing glory and recent struggles, Intel has announced a radical shift: outsourcing a significant portion of its marketing functions to Accenture, leveraging the company’s artificial intelligence technologies.

This move is directly tied to the new CEO’s cost-cutting and streamlining initiatives, with internal memos suggesting “significant changes to team structures, including potential headcount reductions, with only lean teams remaining” in the marketing department. Some affected employees may even be required to train their Accenture replacements during the transition.

Given Intel’s recent difficulties in maintaining a strong internal marketing function and retaining CMOs, outsourcing might offer potential benefits:

• Aligning with Tan’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda by reducing overhead and fixed costs
• The promise of a “modernization” of capabilities and a strengthening of the brand by “leveraging AI-driven technologies” to move faster, simplify processes, and reflect best practices
• For a company that has struggled with agility, leveraging an external firm’s specialized AI tools and expertise could theoretically provide a much-needed injection of efficiency and data-driven insights, allowing the remaining internal teams to focus on higher-value strategic and creative projects.

The AI Marketing Paradox: Promises and Perils

The decision to heavily rely on AI for marketing presents both tantalizing promises and significant risks.

Advantages of AI in Marketing

AI offers undeniable advantages in marketing. It excels at improving efficiency by automating routine tasks, such as lead scoring, email campaigns, and chatbot interactions. Its ability to perform fast and accurate customer data processing allows for deeper analysis of customer engagement and more predictable customer behavior.

AI can facilitate optimized marketing campaigns by targeting specific audiences with greater precision, identifying the most likely prospects to convert, and optimizing messaging for maximum impact. It can generate initial content drafts, accelerate editing, and provide suggestions based on past performance and consumer trends.

At an organization of Intel’s size and scope, which handles vast amounts of technical data and diverse customer segments, AI’s analytical capabilities can be instrumental in identifying market trends, optimizing ad spend, and personalizing customer experiences at scale.

Disadvantages of AI in Marketing

Relying on AI for something as inherently human as marketing carries real risks — chief among them, a loss of creativity and originality. AI can produce content, but often lacks the emotional depth, nuance, and flair that define human creativity. The result can feel mechanical or generic, leading to campaigns that fall flat and weaken brand authenticity. For a company like Intel, which once thrived on emotional connection, that’s a serious concern.

Another significant pitfall is the risk of misinformation and “hallucinations.” AI models, while powerful, are only as good as the data on which they are trained. If the data is biased or flawed, the AI’s output can be inaccurate or even fabricated, leading to misguided marketing decisions or unfairly targeted ads.

Overreliance on AI risks sidelining human intuition and strategy, resulting in bland content that falls short of its mark. Furthermore, using AI for customer interactions, such as chatbots, while efficient, often falls short of replicating the warmth and empathy of human connection, leading to a cold, transactional experience for customers.

Finally, data privacy concerns also loom large, as AI necessitates the collection and analysis of vast amounts of customer data, requiring robust safeguards and transparency.

Wrapping Up

Intel’s latest recovery effort, led by CEO Lip-Bu Tan, is a high-stakes gamble. The aggressive layoffs, while a standard tactic for a turnaround, risk further eroding employee morale and talent retention in an already unstable environment.

The bold move to outsource marketing to Accenture’s AI, while offering potential benefits in cost-cutting and efficiency, ventures into uncharted territory. While AI can undoubtedly enhance marketing operations through data analysis and automation, the challenge for Intel will be to ensure that this technological leap does not come at the expense of genuine creativity, human connection, and the authentic brand storytelling that once made “Intel Inside” a global phenomenon.

The success of this recovery will hinge not just on financial restructuring and technological prowess, but on Intel’s ability to navigate the complex human and brand implications of its radical transformation.

Wacom MovinkPad 11

(Image Credit: Wacom)

For the modern mobile creator, the dream of a truly portable yet powerful drawing and design tool has often felt just out of reach. Laptops are bulky, tablets lack precision, and dedicated drawing displays are tethered to a desk.

Enter the new Wacom MovinkPad 11, a device designed specifically to bridge this gap, offering a compelling solution for artists, designers, and note-takers who demand the freedom to draw wherever they are. Priced at an accessible $449.95, the MovinkPad 11 aims to be the ultimate companion for creativity on the go.

A product like this could be especially useful for creating AI images, as some of us work more visually, and it is easier to draw roughly what we want rather than write extensive text descriptions. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but if you can draw, a drawing could bring you far closer to what you want to end up with than any description you might write.



Ultra-Portable Design With Professional-Level Tools

Right out of the box, the MovinkPad 11 impresses with its sleek design and remarkable portability. At just 7mm thick and weighing a mere 1.3 lbs., this 11-inch display slips effortlessly into any bag, making it ideal for coffee shop sketching, park painting, or brainstorming during commutes.

The display itself is a joy to work on, featuring anti-glare and anti-fingerprint glass that ensures clear visibility even in bright environments and keeps smudges at bay, maintaining a pristine creative surface.

At its core, the MovinkPad 11 is built for natural, responsive drawing. It comes paired with the Wacom Pen 3, a revolutionary battery-free stylus that is always ready when inspiration strikes — eliminating the need for charging interruptions altogether.

A user illustrates on the go using the Wacom MovinkPad 11 — designed for creative mobility (Image Credit: Wacom).

For creators who prefer a different feel, the MovinkPad 11 thoughtfully accepts third-party stationery-style EMR pens, providing excellent flexibility and allowing users to personalize their drawing experience with some truly nice alternative options. The device boasts a 9 Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth and fluid pen strokes that minimize lag and deliver a highly responsive drawing experience.

Built for Creative Flow, Backed by Smart Features

Running on Android 14, the MovinkPad 11 offers a familiar and versatile operating system, allowing access to a wide array of creative apps. Wacom sweetens the deal by including a suite of valuable software: Wacom Canvas (specifically brought out for the MovinkPad), Clip Studio Paint Debut, Wacom Shelf, and Wacom Tips. This bundle provides a robust starting point for any digital artist.

Connectivity is seamless with wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, ensuring you can easily transfer files, connect peripherals, and stay online. For added convenience and versatility, an optional case and stand are available to turn the MovinkPad into a comfortable mobile workstation.

The Wacom MovinkPad 11 positions itself as a game-changer for mobile creators. Its ultra-portable design, battery-free pen technology, excellent display, and thoughtful software bundle make it a powerful and convenient tool for unleashing creativity.

While its refresh rate might be a point of consideration for some, its overall package at this price point makes the Wacom MovinkPad 11 a highly attractive option for anyone looking to draw, design, or take notes anywhere, anytime, making it my Product of the Week.