Trump demands 'highly conflicted' Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign. He responds

In a letter published on Intel’s website, Lip-Bu Tan said he had contacted the White House to address what he described as “misinformation” about his record.

In his first response to US President Donald Trump’s call for his resignation over alleged conflicts of interest and “Chinese ties”, Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan said he has the full support of the company’s board. In a letter to staff published on Intel’s website, Tan said he had contacted the White House to address what he described as “misinformation” about his record.

Trump gave no evidence or additional detail on exactly what potential conflicts of interest Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan might have. (REUTERS File Photo)

“I fully share the President’s commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security,” he told employees. “We are engaging with the Administration to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts.”

Lip-Bu Tan, appointed in March 2025 after more than 41 years at Walden International where he last served as chairman, is facing calls from Donald Trump to “resign immediately.”

On Thursday, Trump described the Intel chief as “highly conflicted” and cited “conflicts of interest” in a Truth Social post, adding to the pressures on a company seen as vital to Washington’s efforts to revive the domestic semiconductor industry, currently dominated by Taiwan.

‘Probing Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s ties to China’

According to a Bloomberg report, Republican Senator Tom Cotton this week questioned the chairman of Intel’s board about Tan’s links to China, including investments in its semiconductor firms and companies with ties to the country’s military.

“There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about my past roles at Walden International and Cadence Design Systems,” Tan wrote.

“I want to be absolutely clear: Over 40 years in the industry, I’ve built relationships around the world and across our diverse ecosystem – and I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards.”

Among the concerns raised by Tom Cotton were Tan’s links to Cadence Design Systems Inc., a tech firm he led for over a decade, which had sold products to a Chinese military university.

In July, the company admitted guilt to breaching US export controls by supplying hardware and software to China’s National University of Defence Technology.

“Intel and Mr. Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States and the integrity of our role in the US defence ecosystem,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.