Intel may look outside the semiconductor industry for its next CEO. The world’s largest chipmaker has traditionally promoted from within, but ever since CEO Paul Otellini announced his departure rumors have been circulating that his replacement would come from the outside, as Intel tries to reposition itself in a market increasingly focused on mobile.
Sanjay Jha and Patrick Geisinger are two executives of interest to the board, according to Quartz.com. Jha is the former CEO of Motorola, and Patrick Geisinger is Intel’s former chief technology officer. Currently Geisinger is CEO of VMware, a leader in cloud computing and virtualization software.
Geisinger worked at Intel during the 1980’s and won PC Magazine’s Person of the Year award for his work on the i486 microprocessor. Recently he announced a significant restructuring at VMware which will result in the elimination of 900 jobs and the addition of 1,000 different jobs as the company focuses on its most profitable and promising business lines.
Sanjay Jha stepped down from his role as CEO of Motorola Mobility after Google acquired the company last year. Jha is credited with forging Motorola’s strong alliance with Verizon Wireless during the early years of the smartphone boom.
