Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger Lands a New Gig

It looks like Pat Gelsinger’s sudden departure from Intel last fall is firmly in the rearview mirror. The former Intel CEO announced on LinkedIn that he has a new job and offered words of support for Intel and the CEO who replaced him, Lip-Bu Tan. Gelsinger is now the executive chair and head of technology at Gloo, a tech company that offers a platform for churches and other faith-based organizations.

“I’ve been involved with Gloo for almost 10 years, both as a board member and investor,” Gelsinger wrote in his post. “Gloo’s focus on creating a technology platform that connects and catalyzes the faith ecosystem perfectly aligns with my own sense of purpose.”

Interestingly, Gelsinger plans to help Gloo make use of AI. Morris Chang, the founder and former chairman of Intel’s rival and business partner, TSMC, criticized Gelsinger for focusing on Intel’s foundry and not enough (in Chang’s view) on AI. Intel took AI seriously, though at a slower pace than rival Nvidia, which was an early, dominant force in the field (and remains so). At Gloo, Gelsinger sees AI as a tool and a responsibility for faith-based organizations.

“Now more than ever, there is great need for faith-based communities to take an active role in ensuring we shape technology as a force for good,” Gelsinger wrote. “As we’ve seen with social media, the impact of technology evolutions is swift, deep and long lasting. AI is an even more powerful yet nascent tool. It is imperative we ensure AI is used to enhance the human experience, not harm it.”

Gelsinger also hinted at “a few more updates to share on this new chapter” in the near future.

The former Intel CEO also shared his support for Intel’s future success during an interview with CNBC. As Tom’s Hardware notes, Gelsinger’s aim at Intel was to return Intel to its former chip manufacturing glory. He departed the company just as it neared completion of its vaunted 18A node, a 1.8nm class process on which Gelsinger famously suggested he was betting Intel’s future. When mass production ramps up, Gelsinger will watch his vision from the sidelines, but he appears to be rooting for Intel, nonetheless. He expressed support for Li-Bu Tan, Intel’s new CEO while warning of pressure from Wall Street.

“As I have spoken about, the short-termism of Wall Street makes that very challenging and why, yet again, I would say my very best to Intel and Lip-Bu in finishing that seminally important journey,” Gelsinger said in the CNBC interview.