News that Intel boss Paul Otellini will step down in May after eight years at the helm of the chip giant is being greeted neutrally by investors today. Otellini officially ascended to the corner office on May 18, 2005. Here’s a look at three key charts that tell key parts of the story of his tenure.
First, Intel’s market capitalization shrank by roughly 37% during Otellini’s term.
Of course, Intel has been dealing with the same industry trends as other chip makers, including the rise of tablet computing. Here’s a look at how its stock price has done, in comparison to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index, a broad barometer of chip-maker stocks. During the Otellini era, Intel shares are down 22%. The broader index is down 15%.
But what really matters isn’t Intel’s performance against similar chipmakers but the comparison with the explosive share price of ARM Holdings, the designer of the most popular kind of chips for smartphones. Intel, by contrast, mainly makes chips for personal computers. Intel’s inability to react to the rise of smartphones and tablets could end up being Otellini’s main legacy.
