Intel CEO Paul Ottelini announced that he’ll retire in May after 40 years with the company. He spent eight of those years as CEO. The board of directors will take a look at both internal and external candidates, but Intel has never hired an external candidate to be CEO. Otellini’s successor will have the task of maintaining Intel’s top position in the slumping PC market while trying to unseat ARM from the fast goring mobile market. Potential candidates to fill the company’s top spot include Chief Financial Office Stacy Smith, Senior Vice President and General manger of software and Services Renee James and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Brian Krzanich.
Otellini fixed a faltering chip road map and helped usher in the mobile era, but margins on chips are falling, according to an analyst. Intel’s bread-and-butter may remain chips, but future profitability could be in effectively using the manufacturing assets to make chips for Intel and also other companies.
