Intel announced that the company’s former CEO Paul Otellini passed away in his sleep Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at the age of 66.
Under the leadership of Paul Otellini, who became the fifth CEO in 2005, Intel made strategic, technological and financial gains. Intel said these included transforming operations and cost structure for long-term growth; assuming a leadership position in the server market segment; and maintaining profitability during the global recession.
Intel won the Apple PC business, and signed partnerships and strategic acquisitions that expanded Intel’s presence in security, software and mobile communications during his stint as CEO.
Intel generated more revenue during his eight-year tenure as CEO than it did during the company’s previous 45 years. In the last full year before he was named CEO, Intel had $34 billion in sales; by 2012, the number had grown to $53 billion.
“We are deeply saddened by Paul’s passing,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said. “He was the relentless voice of the customer in a sea of engineers, and he taught us that we only win when we put the customer first.”
Paul Otellini was born in San Francisco on Oct. 12, 1950. He received bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco in 1972 and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974.
He joined Intel in 1974 and served in a number of positions, including general manager of Intel’s Peripheral Components Operation and the Folsom Microcomputer Division, and in 1989 as then-CEO Andy Grove’s chief of staff.
From 1990 to 2002, he held various positions at Intel, including executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, responsible for microprocessor and chipset businesses and strategies for desktop, mobile and enterprise computing, as well as EVP and general manager of the Sales and Marketing Group.
Intel said Paul Otellini also served as chief operating officer from 2002 to 2005.
