Intel CEO Is Forced to Resign for Fraternizing with a Company Employee

It would seem that Intel is quite serious about upholding its policies against employees hooking up. The company just forced its CEO out of his seat after finding out that he had fraternized with an employee. “Had” is the operative word here, as well, since it would seem that the relationship was in the past. What’s more, it was apparently consensual.

According to the company, it had just learned that now-former CEO Brian Krzanich had a previous, consensual relationship with an Intel employee. This has led to the announcement about Krzanich resigning and the appointment of CFO Robert Swan as the temporary top dog within the firm.

“Intel was recently informed that Mr. Krzanich had a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee,” the announcement reads. “An ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel has confirmed a violation of Intel’s non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers. Given the expectation that all employees will respect Intel’s values and adhere to the company’s code of conduct, the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation.”

To be clear, Krzanich wasn’t just forced out as CEO of Intel. He is no longer part of the board, thus rendering him a pariah, and all because of a relationship that he had with an employee in the past. As CNBC reports, the name of the employee who was involved with Krzanich has not been revealed. Investigations are still ongoing.

In any case, this ends Krzanich’s post within the firm, which he took on back in 2013. Among his accomplishments is leading Intel to a future that invests more in data instead of focusing only on PC hardware. Under his leadership, the company’s stocks rose 120 percent.

Intel is currently looking for a replacement CEO, who will take over from Swan in a more permanent fashion.