In loving memory of my beloved wife

I believed every salary earners always will make complaints; either their work, their boss, their career leader, gossips etc. And two of the favourite questions some engineers always asked me are "Why I choose to leave Intel?" and "Isn't it Intel pays is always better and with better annual increment?" And most commonly, some even will envy being unable to join this largest chip company in the world.

I provide no answers to these questions. But I always comment that there is no work or work place that no one will not complain off. The grass are always greener else where. I always go on commenting that it is only a brand name effect. Just like girls always enjoy having envy eyes staring on their latest several thousand ringgit LV bags. But little do those envy eyes realize that for the girls to have that LV bags, there are how many struggling days were there with eating magge every days before the save up is enough. Unless the girls have a wealthy BF!

I find there is nothing marvelous about that company even though I had been with it for slightly over seven years. I eyes withnessed at least two times of VSP (voluntary separation program : a term used in Intel) with some friends leaving for no reasons or some reasons. I once joined a HK garment producing firm (which also used to be one of the largest congromolate in the world) for a short period of time but felt the warmest heart touching statements and practises. The company that has never VSP anyone even when there are hard times and the company treasured all its employees by securing their living needs.

Intel, like most semiconductor company will not be mercy to chop its employees whenever there is profit drop (although it is still earning over US$1 billion every quarter) and re-hire again when there is ramping time ahead. It never ashame on doing such practises but yet there are tonnes of people applying and feeling great being Intelliers!

I did not get the VSP as the VSP only announced a few months after I left and this made me lost at least 1 - 2 year pay of "compensation bonus". I am really envy over some of my friends having these bonus of over RM100k or more. I missed this type of fate all the while. First being Western Digital in 1999 announced VSP after three months I submitted my resignation and Intel in 2005.

But I have no regret at all. No doubt Intel did offer some ground works to my career life but I bet you will only see the real world after you come out from it. Only then, you will realize that you are indeed in a world of "simple work" when you are an intellier. Reason being, it is always easy to "nego" with your suppliers etc as being the largest company. People are rushing to offer hands to get business for. You will not learn how to really manage a crisis as there is always a backup already available within the company...

I still remember that I once heard a comment that Intellier is only great with presentations but not really in actual task. It looks good and performs good on paper. Well, may be! Conceptually one who believed and practised every Intel principles and cultures will not survive long enough elsewhere unless one change to adapt. But outsiders to intel will surely survive as the task will get simple after all as there are always at least three guys or more doing the same type of works and just need to be sell great on paper and speak aloud.

When one still inside this company, one will not understand what I had commented here. Only those that left will echo my thoughts. You will not know it when you are seeing it from outside. Once you are inside, you will realize that it is nothing special but again the same type of complaints you will make like before...

This is only the brand name effect...