According to CRN, Intel has lost its chief communications officer Jeff Dahncke less than 12 months after he took the job in January 2024. Dahncke announced his departure on LinkedIn Monday to join data center infrastructure provider Equinix in the same role. He becomes the latest in a series of top executives who have left Intel since CEO Lip-Bu Tan took over in March and initiated major reforms. Cory Pforzheimer, who joined Intel last year from Equinix and HP, has been appointed interim chief communications officer. The company confirmed the leadership change but stated its strategy and priorities remain unchanged.
The Great Intel Reshuffle
This isn’t just one executive leaving – it’s part of a pattern that’s becoming hard to ignore. Since Tan became CEO in March, we’ve seen a steady stream of departures from the highest levels. Christy Pambianchi (Chief People Officer), Safroadu Yeboah-Amankwah (Chief Strategy Officer), Michelle Johnston Holthaus (Intel Products CEO), and most notably Sachin Katti (Chief Technology and AI Officer) who just left for OpenAI earlier this month. That last one really stings – losing your AI chief to the company that’s basically defining the AI era.
Tan’s Transformation Play
Here’s the thing about what Tan is doing: he’s trying to turn Intel into what he calls a “leaner, engineering-focused company.” Basically, he’s flattening the organization and bringing in fresh blood from outside. He’s hired former Arm executive Kevork Kechichian to lead the Data Center Group, poached Apple chip designers for AI silicon engineering, and brought in Cadence Design Systems talent for custom chip design. But the revolving door at the top raises real questions. How do you maintain continuity when your leadership team keeps changing?
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The Communications Conundrum
Let’s talk about the communications role specifically. Dahncke is the second communications chief to leave in under two years – his predecessor Karen Kahn lasted about 18 months. And now they’ve got an interim leader who came from… wait for it… Equinix, the same company Dahncke just joined. It’s starting to feel like musical chairs.
What’s really interesting is that Tan made Dahncke a direct report back in March as part of his executive team flattening. So this wasn’t some mid-level manager – this was someone the CEO wanted close. And now he’s gone. The company says they have a “strong bench of talent” and their strategy remains unchanged. But when your chief communications officer leaves after less than a year, what message does that send to employees? To investors?
What This Means for Intel
Look, executive turnover happens, especially during major transformations. But the sheer volume and speed of these changes at Intel is remarkable. Tan is clearly trying to shake things up dramatically, and sometimes that means clearing out the old guard. The question is whether this represents smart housecleaning or dangerous brain drain.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. Intel is fighting battles on multiple fronts – trying to regain process technology leadership, competing in AI, building a US foundry business. They need stability and focus. Yet they’re dealing with constant leadership changes. It’s like trying to rebuild a plane while it’s flying – and while changing pilots mid-flight.
Will this aggressive restructuring pay off? Or will Intel look back and wish they’d managed transitions more carefully? Only time will tell, but for now, the executive exodus shows no signs of slowing down.
