Activist Targets Intel: The Information’s Tech Briefing

Activist investor Daniel Loeb has targeted Intel for his next pressure campaign, reportedly urging the chipmaker to consider separating its chip manufacturing operations from its chip design. That would be an enormous step if Intel were to take it—Intel’s roots in fabricating its own chips has long set it apart from smaller rivals such as AMD, which outsources that part of the business.

It’s easy to overstate the potential impact of activist investors. After all, Loeb got nowhere when he called on Sony last year to carve off its semiconductor and financial businesses from its entertainment operations. Still, if ever there was a company in need of activist pressure, it is Intel. The once dominant chip maker missed out on the shift to mobile, blew billions buying and selling control of McAfee and has spent billions more in an as-yet unproven effort to expand in AI chips, where Nvidia is stronger.