Thread regarding Intel Corp. layoffs

Intel has the worst case scenario... terrible engineers who are functionally non technical are promoted to management where they think they are better engineers than technical ICs.

@4yaa+18n22VY1, in my experience, technical people who get promoted to managerial roles still consider them to be better engineers than their direct reports (i.e., they see promotion as a validation of their superior engineering skills or judgment). I’d say this is very different from a non-technical person managing technical personnel.

Many engineers imagine that managers need to be engineers too. But there are many historical examples of non-technical managers leading highly successful engineering teams. And some of us who have worked elsewhere have seen this phenomenon firsthand.

The problem with Intel’s managers isn’t their engineering skills, it’s their managing skills. These people are utter mediocrities who tend to get rewarded based on politics and loyalty. They have no idea how to get the best work out of their direct reports and many of them don’t even care too much as long as they are personally made to look good.

ok so you are from the right village then

are you from the right village?

Where can I sign up for this PE position? ;)

@3qoa+18n22VY1 Sounds like you need to speak the proper sub-continental dialect.

What I was told is that it’s more important to be willing to take on more responsibility and be answerable/accountable for the successes and failures of direct reports. In plain English, you know what it means.

@3wpn+18n22VY1 most of the higher grade bloviators at Intel know full well they are not hirable anywhere else so they are just glad they managed to scam Intel into paying them a decent salary just to play politics and kiss a–.

Yikes time to spruce up the old resume if technical competence is not valued for higher grades, unbelievable. Why would anyone technical stay for a career if this true?

Technical competence comes less of a requirement the higher you go. At gr10 it becomes a liability.

Not that it’s a surprise to anyone here but my manager told me on the record that even for G9 technical competence is not a criterion.

@ajo+18n22VY1 Totally agree. Becoming a PE is purely a political battle. it has very little to do with technical competence.

Intel PE are the laughingstock of the industry... even IBM has the decency to promote technically talented people to PE/fellow. Intel PE is literally a club for backstabbers, thieves and politicians.

We have managers/PEs (15/20+ years at Intel) who are not allowed to be in any technical meetings by themselves...(they need someone to translate in plain English what it is that is being discussed)...or they may say something telling others that meeting with them is total waste of time (actually happened, as customers stopped meeting with them).

PEs also often need a pre meeting before actual meeting so that they can say something in actual meeting (simply parroting others words)... they can not hold a technical conversation.

Some managers only do errands. Setup meetings, make sure we have desks, computers etc... as they can not do anything else.

why would they? the path to promotion as a PE is to be a snake oil salesman, and the path up for managers is to pledge loyalty to the raj above. technical merit has nothing to do with anything.