SWOPblogger: "Intel Has The World to Play With"

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

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"Intel Has The World to Play With"

karlos says: So it seems the Journal isn't going to print the latest Letter to the Editor I sent in about Intel. (They shouldn't let this post stop them :)

Here's the letter:

Dear Editor,

I was surprised to see the Journal didn't run a recent article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Intel Looks to Shed Staff...

[http://www.sfgate.com]

With billions of New Mexico tax payer dollars invested in the Rio Rancho factory, the Journal's readers - and more importantly the many employees at the plant with families who depend on their jobs - shouldn't be kept in the dark.

Newspapers from Oregon to India have printed stories of nervous employees wary of layoff talk.

Intel isn’t saying much, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask.

Layoffs would be unbearable with Sandoval County recently awarding the giant chip maker a $16 billion dollar Industrial Revenue Bond (that affects taxpayers all over the state) and noxious emissions continuing to hurt Intel’s neighbors.

As rival AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) continues to chip away at Intel’s dominance, Intel Chairman of the Board Craig Barret and CEO Paul Otellini should feel the squeeze, not employees.

-end-

The Journal did run this article on Sunday.

Andrew Webb writes that Intel's impending shake up and employee layoffs will make the "Goliath of the chip world... leaner, faster and more efficient."

Almost makes it sound like a good thing.

In a separate inset, Webb writes that the Rio Rancho plant is "on the trailing edge of Intel's technology," and notes that Intel campaigned for a 2004 incentive package saying the bond package and tax breaks would keep the Rio Rancho plant competitive.

In that same article, Intel spokesperson Jami Grindatto was surprisingly forthcoming.

"These decisions are really based on financial decisions of the company, the business decisions of the states in terms of incentives and taxes, and how busy these sites are with current products," Grindatto said. "Intel has the world to play with."

So when should we start to worry about our investment?

Stay tuned...