Ex-Intel CEO Brian Krzanich gets a new job, igniting a massive backlash — new employer Cerence disables social media comments after blistering criticism

Former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich was recently hired to lead at Cerence Inc., an automotive AI technology company based in Burlington, MA. However, Cerence's celebratory statements about its new CEO, shared via social media, have quickly turned sour as commenters scorn the firm's chief-exec hiring decision. Even on LinkedIn’s usually sedate, reserved space, Cerence has felt compelled to turn off user comments, noted analyst Ian Cutress.

Cerence began its Brian Krzanich publicity blitz a week ago, announcing the ex-Intel boss’s appointment as its new CEO and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately, as part of its Q4 2024 fiscal guidance statement.

“The automotive AI technology firm boasted that Krzanich was "a seasoned executive with a track record of success at global public organizations.” It highlighted something hardware geeks may have missed – that Krzanich was CEO of CDK Global Inc., a leading software supplier to the retail automotive industry, from 2018 to 2022. However, before that, many of you will be acutely aware of Krzanich’s tenure at Intel from 2013 to 2018.“Cerence’sCerence reminds us that Krzanich spent 36 years at Intel and, over the five years heading up the iconic PC processor company, he scaled the business from $52B to $70B of annual revenue over the five years heading up the iconic PC processor company.

Arun Sarin, Chairman of the Cerence Board, went on to assert, in a PR bulletin and to social media followers, that "His leadership skills and expertise in AI and cloud computing make Brian the right leader to guide Cerence through this transition, capitalize on Cerence’s growth opportunities and drive shareholder value.”

(Image credit: Jonathan Huang)

(Image credit: Cerence Inc.)

Has Cerence "lost their marbles?"

We can't now read the comments on LinkedIn that precipitated the closure of public discourse beneath the announcement that Brian Krzanich had been appointed as the new CEO. The comments section isn't just closed; it has been removed in its entirety.

Perhaps a comment like this (see image above) from ex-Intel Labs stalwart Jonathan Huang, now a Tech Lead at Apple, led to the comments section shuttering. Rather than celebrate the slight uptick in revenues under Krzanich's tenure at Intel, Huang highlighted that Intel wasted its potential compared to Nvidia.

The now-Apple Tech Lead didn't hold back with a flow of criticism of Krzanich, stating that he "truly perfected the art of making a mess" and was a CEO who lacked vision. He also accused the ex-Intel CEO of making multiple questionable acquisitions and share buybacks using money from casual workforce culls. However, Huang was most angered by what he saw as the reward of failure in Krzanich's case, while "talented, hardworking folks are out of jobs through no fault of their own."

Clicking through the uncensored comments beneath Huang's statement, no one has defended Krzanich unless you count people complaining about Paul Otellini.

Given the strength of the ex-Intel employee's feelings highlighted above, it is perhaps ironic that Intel didn't fire Krzanich due to his management performance. Instead, he was allowed to resign after a workplace relationship was uncovered—a violation of company policy.