Intel scores Micron exec and lands itself in hot water with Marco Rubio

Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central

There is softball news and there is hardball news. Intel has managed to score itself a headline in both camps at right around the same time.

On the less controversial end of the spectrum is the news that Intel has appointed David Zinsner as its chief financial officer. Zinsner comes to Intel fresh off being the CFO of Micron. He assumes his role on January 17, 2022. As for current CFO George Davis, he’s retiring in May. You can read Intel’s full press release to see the kind words CEO Pat Gelsinger has to share about Zinsner.

In more controversial news: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has officially denounced Intel and floated the idea the company should be excluded from a piece of the $52 billion pie the U.S. government baked in order to help remedy the chip shortage. You can read Rubio’s full statement over at his site, but here’s a key quote:

Intel’s cowardice is yet another predictable consequence of economic reliance on China. Instead of humiliating apologies and self-censorship, companies should move their supply chains to countries that do not use slave labor or commit genocide. If companies like Intel continue to obscure the facts about U.S. law just to appease the Chinese Communist Party then they should be ineligible for any funding under the CHIPS Act.

Rubio’s comments come as a result of Intel apologizing to China for simply acknowledging it doesn’t deal with the Xinjiang region in order to adhere to U.S. law and sanctions. Said law and sanctions came about in response to the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs in China (the term “genocide” has been used by the U.S. government to describe the situation).

Intel has been big on securing funding for itself at the exclusion of the competition, as evidenced by its putdown of Taiwan not too long ago. It remains to be seen how the company will respond to Rubio’s remarks.