The Find: The CEO of Intel offers his view on the company’s prospects for growth in developing markets, as well as advice for ambitious managers aspiring to the top.- The Source: A speech given by Intel CEO Paul Otellini at Stanford Graduate School of Business and reported in Stanford Knowledgebase.
The Takeaway: When Intel boss Otellini spoke to Stanford students recently, he outlined his company’s plans for future growth, describing, among other innovations, a new line of health care products designed to help patients monitor their vital signs at home, but these newly developed technologies are not the core of their plan. What is? Expanding the company’s reach in developing markets:
“China is already the second-largest market for computers in the world, and it will pass the U.S. in the next couple of years,” Otellini predicts. But Intel’s future growth could also be found in Africa, where more cell phones are expected to be sold this year than in India, he said. “So, we are betting on that curve accelerating” as people in developing nations buy handheld devices and less expensive laptops that contain the computer chips produced by Intel.
Otellini is the first non-engineer to head the world’s largest manufacturer of microprocessors and he credits his unorthodox background for his professional success. He recommends a less than linear career path to managers intent on climbing the career ladder. “Today’s MBA graduates should seek jobs at organizations that encourage them to stretch out of their comfort zone and take on a variety of roles,” he said.
(Image of texting Ugandans by Ken Banks, kiwanja.net, CC 2.0)
