Intel has been searching for a new leader ever since Brian Krzanich, the last CEO incumbent holding the position since 2013, stepped down in June, 2018. Krzanich was ostensibly ousted by the board following historic reports of a “consensual relationship with an Intel employee.”
Since then, Intel’s board has been searching far and wide for his replacement, including beyond the company – even Apple’s hardware guru, Johnny Sruji, was reportedly considered for the job. All the while Bob Swan, the company’s CFO since 2016, took the company’s helm temporarily through one of its most turbulent moments: the 14nm undersupply. The board’s candidate search lasted over seven months, during which time Swan was reportedly uninterested in taking the position full-time.