Trump meets with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and gives him praise, only five days after calling for his resignation.

      Credit: Intel

      On Monday, US President Trump met with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan at the White House, where they engaged in detailed discussions about the semiconductor sector and later lauded Tan on social media. This meeting occurred just five days after Trump had publicly called for Tan to "resign immediately," making this sudden change in tone a significant point of interest for the global tech community.

      Why it matters: A previously tense political confrontation took a striking turn.

      The situation arose from allegations made by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who asserted that Lip-Bu Tan, through his venture firm Walden International, had invested over $200 million in various Chinese tech companies, as reported by Reuters.

      Cotton also highlighted that during Tan's leadership at Cadence Design Systems, the company faced a $140 million penalty for the illegal export of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) chip design software for sales in China.

      Details: The specifics of Trump's meeting with Tan have not been made public, but Trump altered his tone and referred to Tan’s success as “an amazing story.”

      On August 7, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform to insist that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign immediately, alleging he was “highly conflicted” without providing further details. These comments sparked concern throughout the tech industry.

      Nevertheless, following his meeting with Tan on Monday, Trump praised the Intel CEO’s achievements. “I met with Mr. Lip-Bu Tan of Intel, alongside Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. The meeting was extremely interesting. His success and rise is an amazing story. Mr. Tan and my Cabinet members will be spending time together and offering suggestions to me in the coming week. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump shared on Truth Social.

      Context: In the United States, non-market forces are increasingly influencing corporate decision-making. As executives focus more on navigating political and regulatory challenges, their commitment to technological innovation, consistent global strategies, and consumer interests may be compromised.

      The Financial Times reported on Monday that the Trump administration reached an agreement enabling NVIDIA and AMD to recommence sales of certain AI chips, such as NVIDIA’s H20 and AMD’s MI308, to China. Under this arrangement, the companies are required to pay 15% of their revenue from these sales in China to the US government in exchange for export licenses, marking an unprecedented “revenue-sharing” model for sensitive technologies.

      Jessie Wu is a tech reporter based in Shanghai. She covers consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. Connect with her via e-mail: [email protected].