Intel’s Culture Needed Fixing. Its C.E.O. Is Shaking Things Up.

[erek]

How big of an impact? How big of a shake up? Profound??

"If executives “keep dinging them on what is not happening,” which was a tendency in the past, “this culture is not going to change,” she said.

For all the effort, financial benefits of the changes may take years to appear. Yet Mr. Swan keeps trying new tactics, including recently linking employee bonuses partly to “One Intel” improvements measured by employee surveys.
“We have the smartest people in the world,” Mr. Swan said. The question remains, he said, “how do you get them rowing in the same direction?”"

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/technology/intel-culture-robert-swan.html

 

[SticKx911]

If you are one bad CEO decision away from being laid off...it's probably hard to care which way the ship is rowing. Just punch in, punch out, and keep your resume updated.

 

[erek]

If you are one bad CEO decision away from being laid off...it's probably hard to care which way the ship is rowing. Just punch in, punch out, and keep your resume updated.

SticKx911

sad, is it really that bad?

 

[SticKx911]

SticKx911

sad, is it really that bad?

Sorry if I came off as informed. Lol. I'm not there, I just know the recent news and how a lot of public companies have been treating their 9 to 5ers. As someone looking for a job now, a history of layoffs is a major turnoff.

He said it himself. They have smart people. If you felt disposable, why on earth would you do any more than required to get your agreed paycheck.

 

[Armenius]

Intel is infected with the same bug as Boeing.

Products failing, innovation lacking, money disappearing... But, hey, at least our workforce looks like a rainbow!

 

[Aurelius]

Intel is infected with the same bug as Boeing.
View attachment 227189
Products failing, innovation lacking, money disappearing... But, hey, at least our workforce looks like a rainbow!

Better representation is an admirable goal -- it's just that you should be devoting similar energy to revitalizing your business at the same time. The problem, I think, is that it's easier adjust your hiring practices than to revamp your engineering strategy, and Intel seems to have trouble with that last part (whether it's due to technical limitations or just lethargy).

 

[Dan_D]

Diversity needs to be organic, not forced. Companies should hire people based on their qualifications and ability to do the job. Race, religion, sexual orientation etc. shouldn't factor into the decision at all. I know that's not how it really works, but that's how it generally should be. Forced inclusion doesn't produce the desired results simply because it means that you will be hiring people based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion which is actually illegal. Even if it wasn't, such things have nothing to do with hiring a person based on their ability to do the job. Or at least, it shifts the primary focus away from the job and puts "diversity and inclusion" at the forefront.

 

[Aurelius]

Diversity needs to be organic, not forced. Companies should hire people based on their qualifications and ability to do the job. Race, religion, sexual orientation etc. shouldn't factor into the decision at all. I know that's not how it really works, but that's how it generally should be. Forced inclusion doesn't produce the desired results simply because it means that you will be hiring people based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion which is actually illegal. Even if it wasn't, such things have nothing to do with hiring a person based on their ability to do the job. Or at least, it shifts the primary focus away from the job and puts "diversity and inclusion" at the forefront.

That's the ideal, and encouraging more STEM education and careers among women and minorities is a way toward that. But like you said, that's not how it works in real life. White straight guys hire other white straight guys because it's all they're familiar with, because of nepotism... and yes, sometimes because of discrimination. And a lot of the white straight guys who have wet dreams about that pure meritocracy do so because they know that pretending it works in practice merely serves to keep the status quo intact.

For that matter, having people from a different background can actually be crucial in tech. It took years for Uber to implement useful tools for fighting sexual harassment because, surprise, its product designers and engineers were dudebros who'd never once considered that creepy drivers try to proposition or rape women. And numerous facial recognition systems are biased against women and minorities because the training data, the algorithms or both are built around white men. You need a plurality of voices in tech to have that person in the meeting who says "sorry, but this is messed up."

While Intel really needs to get it act together tech-wise, I couldn't help but smile when it announced its big diversity push. Both because it could actually give underrepresented groups more of a shot and because it challenged the overly entitled white guy's belief that the cultural bias in American companies is somehow natural or inevitable.

 

[cjcox]

Live CEO speech.

 

[PeaKr]

That's the ideal, and encouraging more STEM education and careers among women and minorities......

Wow, lots of logical fallacies here. Any proof to back up your ideological opinions?

1. Women don't need to be shoehorned into stem. If they posses the skills and desire nothing is stopping them from a career in those fields.

2. People with "different backgrounds" have always been in tech. They got hired based on skills not skin color or gender.

3. If you populate your company with employees based on diversity rather than skill you are going to fail.

 

[Meeho]

That's the ideal, and encouraging more STEM education and careers among women and minorities is a way toward that. But like you said, that's not how it works in real life. White straight guys hire other white straight guys because it's all they're familiar with, because of nepotism... and yes, sometimes because of discrimination. And a lot of the white straight guys who have wet dreams about that pure meritocracy do so because they know that pretending it works in practice merely serves to keep the status quo intact.

 

[Arcygenical]

Snip

Your posts is one of the most racist posts I've ever read on this forums, lol.

 

[Merc1138]

That's the ideal, and encouraging more STEM education and careers among women and minorities is a way toward that. But like you said, that's not how it works in real life. White straight guys hire other white straight guys because it's all they're familiar with, because of nepotism... and yes, sometimes because of discrimination. And a lot of the white straight guys who have wet dreams about that pure meritocracy do so because they know that pretending it works in practice merely serves to keep the status quo intact.

For that matter, having people from a different background can actually be crucial in tech. It took years for Uber to implement useful tools for fighting sexual harassment because, surprise, its product designers and engineers were dudebros who'd never once considered that creepy drivers try to proposition or rape women. And numerous facial recognition systems are biased against women and minorities because the training data, the algorithms or both are built around white men. You need a plurality of voices in tech to have that person in the meeting who says "sorry, but this is messed up."

While Intel really needs to get it act together tech-wise, I couldn't help but smile when it announced its big diversity push. Both because it could actually give underrepresented groups more of a shot and because it challenged the overly entitled white guy's belief that the cultural bias in American companies is somehow natural or inevitable.

So then why does Intel hire so many men from Asia?

 

[pendragon1]

Your posts is one of the most racist posts I've ever read on this forums, lol.

hes from a canadian far-lefty haven so it should be expected.

 

[rgMekanic]

They needed to hire some fucking sexy bearded Texan to be some kind of "enthusiast engagement" director, and give them ideas that don't suck while making customers happy.

But Intel is literally Satan at this point so that'll never happen.

 

[HAL_404]

“We have the smartest people in the world,” Mr. Swan said. The question remains, he said, “how do you get them rowing in the same direction?”"

try a whip ... worked wonders on the slave trade rowers

 

[Aurelius]

Wow, lots of logical fallacies here. Any proof to back up your ideological opinions?

1. Women don't need to be shoehorned into stem. If they posses the skills and desire nothing is stopping them from a career in those fields.

2. People with "different backgrounds" have always been in tech. They got hired based on skills not skin color or gender.

3. If you populate your company with employees based on diversity rather than skill you are going to fail.

Which logical fallacies? It's funny, you throw that claim out and then fail to cite even one example of it, all the while chastising me for a supposed lack of evidence.

There is evidence. Tech companies like Intel, Google, Microsoft and others regularly publish transparency reports showing that their cultures are still disproportionately male, and usually disproportionately white (though there's a significant India contingent in some cases). Uber's male-dominated, sexist culture from the Kalanick days is very well documented (Susan Fowler's book about it recently came out), and it's not alone. Google gave golden parachutes to Andy Rubin and other execs involved in sexual harassment and assault, and kept quiet about it until there were leaks. Let's not forget Riot Games' tolerance of sexism. Hell, look at how some men on internet forums masturbate to fired Googler James Damore's manifesto, where he cited junk science to make his claim that women were biologically inferior at programming and that Google would have to reorganize if it were to accommodate women. You think management and engineers like that don't affect someone's chances of getting jobs and promotions?

Also, I never said that companies should pick based on diversity "rather than" skill; the fact is that there are often people who are similarly skilled and from different backgrounds. If you can find someone like that, they should be considered if your company's culture is too homogenous. And that's not just a feel-good thing... as I explained earlier, sometimes you need a diverse range of views to make sure you aren't overlooking glaring problems in your product design, and that you address all your potential customers.

It's funny, you lambaste me for "ideological opinions" yet make unsupported, purely ideological claims that it's just a matter of skill and desire. You're holding on to that meritocracy myth like it's a security blanket -- you need to pretend that nepotism, unconscious bias and overt discrimination don't exist so that you don't have to think about reform. And even if the claim were true (it's not), there are any number of problems that discourage women and minorities from pursuing and staying in tech careers. The stigma against women pursuing computer science that started surging in the mid-1980s (right around when home PCs were becoming popular) is one. And it can be tough for women to tolerate the work environments when there aren't enough of them. Let's say you're the only woman on your programming team. You're less likely to be included in social activities and have fewer defenses against Damore-like assholes, sexual harassers or bosses that favor their buddies (male, of course) instead of the most accomplished workers (and yes, women in tech have complained about all these things). How likely are you to stay at that company, or even stay in tech, with an environment like that? If peer pressure and company culture scream "we don't want you here," you shouldn't be shocked when women and minorities don't rush toward STEM degrees and matching jobs.

 

[Aurelius]

Your posts is one of the most racist posts I've ever read on this forums, lol.

I argue in favor of diversity on the belief that people from all backgrounds have the talent to participate and can improve a company's culture, that unconscious bias and discrimination are realities, but I'm the racist? Uh huh. And I'm sure you believe 2 + 2 = 5 because 4 is a liberal conspiracy.

 

[OutOfPhase]

This thread reminds me of the time I quietly enjoyed kindergarten teachers discussing how they thought cell phones worked.

 

[Aurelius]

So then why does Intel hire so many men from Asia?

That's another issue. Part of it is because, yes, there are a lot of people pursuing college/university tech degrees in countries like India, but there's also an echo chamber where the existing culture perpetuates itself; people are likely to hire from the demographics they know. I should clarify that, while there is a strong white male bias in tech at the moment (intentional or otherwise), they don't have a sole lock on it. And again, the issue isn't just the systemic issues at the companies, it's the people who are most likely to whine about the 'dangers' of diversity and cling to meritocracy fantasies.

 

[5150Joker]

Intel is infected with the same bug as Boeing.
View attachment 227189
Products failing, innovation lacking, money disappearing... But, hey, at least our workforce looks like a rainbow!

They have a ton of Indians, Pakistani, Asian and Israeli engineers, what other diversity goals do they need to reach?

 

[Merc1138]

That's another issue. Part of it is because, yes, there are a lot of people pursuing college/university tech degrees in countries like India, but there's also an echo chamber where the existing culture perpetuates itself; people are likely to hire from the demographics they know. I should clarify that, while there is a strong white male bias in tech at the moment (intentional or otherwise), they don't have a sole lock on it. And again, the issue isn't just the systemic issues at the companies, it's the people who are most likely to whine about the 'dangers' of diversity and cling to meritocracy fantasies.

Wait, so it went from a white bias, to now including people from all over Asia? And that's still the same bias? What the fuck even?

 

[zehoo]

And a lot of the white straight guys who have wet dreams about that pure meritocracy

It’s funny how double think can lead someone to be so massively racist and sexist, and yet think they’re the complete opposite. Or maybe it isn’t double think but rather a long convoluted story to mask distain for an entire section of the community.

 

[Master_shake_]

I argue in favor of diversity on the belief that people from all backgrounds have the talent to participate and can improve a company's culture, that unconscious bias and discrimination are realities, but I'm the racist? Uh huh. And I'm sure you believe 2 + 2 = 5 because 4 is a liberal conspiracy.

when your 737maxx is carreening in to the ground you can say "diversity is our strength"

 

[travm]

It’s funny how double think can lead someone to be so massively racist and sexist, and yet think they’re the complete opposite. Or maybe it isn’t double think but rather a long convoluted story to mask distain for an entire section of the community.

I think you have to read the whole post.
I don't agree with it, but I also don't agree with taking one sentence out of a large paragraph and waiving it around like a flag.

 

[workshop35]

They have a ton of Indians, Pakistani, Asian and Israeli engineers, what other diversity goals do they need to reach?

Reporting on workforce diversity is also required by the government for many companies, but i dont know the criteria for who does and doesnt. I work for a large tech company and HR releases reports every year for the US sites only just because of this requirement. I doubt that its as big of a deal as people make it out to be, if you cant do your job where i work youre gone still.

 

[Armenius]

I argue in favor of diversity on the belief that people from all backgrounds have the talent to participate and can improve a company's culture, that unconscious bias and discrimination are realities, but I'm the racist? Uh huh. And I'm sure you believe 2 + 2 = 5 because 4 is a liberal conspiracy.

The bigotry of low expectations is the ultimate form of racism.