Critics bash ex-Intel CEO for latest call for fasting, prayer after abrupt retirement announcement
Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who unexpectedly resigned earlier this month, is asking supporters to join him in prayer and fasting for the company's workforce as layoffs continue to affect thousands of employees.
Gelsinger, 63, announced his retirement after Intel reported a $1.6 billion quarterly loss. After becoming CEO in 2021 with a bold plan to revitalize Intel, Gelsinger’s departure came just days after tensions reportedly flared during a board meeting where Gelsinger was informed he could either retire or face removal.
In a post shared on X Dec. 8, Gelsinger revealed that he observes a weekly 24-hour day of prayer and fasting and invited others to join him this week. "This week I'd invite you to join me in praying and fasting for the 100K Intel employees as they navigate this difficult period," Gelsinger wrote. "Intel and its team are of seminal importance to the future of the industry and US."
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An outspoken Christian, Gelsinger first began working at Intel when he was 18. As CEO of VMWare in 2013, he co-founded Transforming the Bay with Christ, a nonprofit organization that works to jumpstart a Jesus movement in the San Francisco Bay Area to lead to a spiritual and societal transformation.
It’s not the first time Gelsinger has taken to social media to publicly call for prayer and fasting: he repeatedly stated his regular Thursday routine of fasting and prayer in 2016 and 2022.
The response to Gelsinger’s call to fasting and prayer was mixed, with some pledging to join his effort and others mocking him for seeking spiritual guidance for a secular endeavor.
One user wrote: “I appreciate your religiosity, but to think that praying to God will get God to intercede on the behalf of Intel over its chip-making competitors is a very different kind of religion than I think I’m willing to admire. In your time at Intel you should have made better products.”
Another replied, “As a shareholder I would view this as a big red flag if a fired CEO asks me to pray for the company.”
Gelsinger received similar reactions back in August when he posted a Bible verse after announcing more than 15% of the tech company's workforce will be laid off amid its plummeting share price.
"Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways," Pat Gelsinger posted on X, quoting Proverbs 4:25-26.
His post came days after he announced in a note to employees in August that the chipmaking company would be cutting about 17,000 of its 116,500 workers as part of a $10 billion cost-reduction plan, according to FOX Business.
"This is an incredibly hard day for Intel as we are making some of the most consequential changes in our company’s history," Gelsinger said. "Simply put, we must align our cost structure with our new operating model and fundamentally change the way we operate."
Intel's stock price cratered 26% in the wake of Gelsinger's announcement, marking its worst day in 50 years and second-worst ever, according to CNBC. In July 1974, the company saw a 31% drop just three years after its initial IPO.
