Beyond Ex-VP Lo, Intel Is Reportedly Poaching TSMC Arizona Engineers With 20–30% Higher Salaries

[Fred Chen]

Former TSMC senior vice president Wei-Jen Lo’s move to Intel—along with allegations that he took sub-2nm documents—has now sparked reports that Intel is also trying to recruit TSMC engineers in Arizona. According to Liberty Times, sources say Intel has recently been aggressively poaching engineers from TSMC’s Arizona fab. Compared with TSMC, Intel is reportedly offering salaries that are 20–30% higher while providing a workload that is roughly half as heavy, successfully attracting some U.S. engineers to switch over.

The Arizona location carries particular significance, as both companies are producing their advanced technologies there. Intel is building its leading-edge 18A chips in Arizona, with the company announcing that Panther Lake will enter high-volume production at its newest Arizona fab later this year. TSMC, meanwhile, is manufacturing NVIDIA’s Blackwell wafers at its Arizona site.

Regarding the current status of Lo’s case, UDN News notes that TSMC has publicly stated it has filed a related lawsuit against Lo with the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court. The court confirmed that it has received TSMC’s application for a provisional injunction. The scope of TSMC’s request covers the employment contract between TSMC and Lo, as well as the non-compete agreement and trade-secret obligations he signed during his tenure. The purpose of the injunction is to prevent Lo and Intel from taking any further actions, UDN News notes.

However, Tom’s Hardware points out that it remains unclear how TSMC could enforce such a court decision in the U.S. or compel Lo to leave Intel.

Meanwhile, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan addressed the situation last Thursday while attending the Semiconductor Industry Association Awards in San Jose. According to Bloomberg, Tan dismissed the allegations as rumor and speculation, emphasizing that the company respects intellectual property.

[News] Beyond Ex-VP Lo, Intel Is Reportedly Poaching TSMC Arizona Engineers With 20–30% Higher Salaries

Former TSMC senior vice president Wei-Jen Lo’s move to Intel—along with allegations that he took sub-2nm documents—has now sparked reports that Intel ...

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[Fred Chen]

"Compared with TSMC, Intel is reportedly offering salaries that are 20–30% higher while providing a workload that is roughly half as heavy, successfully attracting some U.S. engineers to switch over."

The mention of workload difference caught my eye. If it's true, it says more about the difference between Intel and TSMC.

 

[siliconbruh999]

"Compared with TSMC, Intel is reportedly offering salaries that are 20–30% higher while providing a workload that is roughly half as heavy, successfully attracting some U.S. engineers to switch over."

The mention of workload difference caught my eye. If it's true, it says more about the difference between Intel and TSMC.

There is a different work culture between TSMC/Intel kind of expected.

 

[lilo777]

"Compared with TSMC, Intel is reportedly offering salaries that are 20–30% higher while providing a workload that is roughly half as heavy, successfully attracting some U.S. engineers to switch over."

The mention of workload difference caught my eye. If it's true, it says more about the difference between Intel and TSMC.

I think "reportedly" is the key here. We are not talking about the particularly creative jobs here. It's basically 40 work hours per week jobs. In this case, only moron would work more for 30% less.

 

[Fred Chen]

I think "reportedly" is the key here. We are not talking about the particularly creative jobs here. It's basically 40 work hours per week jobs. In this case, only moron would work more for 30% less.

There is a different work culture between TSMC/Intel kind of expected.

Such a big workload difference, if true, could correlate to the amount of business the respective companies are handling. Or else, one company is simply slacking .

 

[Daniel Nenni]

Competition is a beautiful thing!

 

[Fred Chen]

Has Intel already met its workforce reduction target for this year?

 

[lilo777]

Has Intel already met its workforce reduction target for this year?

According to the news sites, the last round of layoffs in Oregon was in October. On the other hand, they may be laying people off and hiring from TSMC at the same time

 

[Fred Chen]

According to the news sites, the last round of layoffs in Oregon was in October. On the other hand, they may be laying people off and hiring from TSMC at the same time

Intel lays off 669 more Oregon workers as local headcount dwindles​

• Updated: Nov. 13, 2025, 5:07 p.m.
• |Published: Nov. 13, 2025, 4:08 p.m.

By Mike Rogoway | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Intel laid off another 669 Oregon workers Thursday on top of 2,400 Washington County jobs the chipmaker cut in July, according to a filing with state workforce officials.

Long the semiconductor industry’s most advanced manufacturer, Intel lost its lead several years ago and is now losing market share in PCs and data centers. Its sales are flat and the company is missing out on the boom in artificial intelligence because it has no advanced chips for that segment.

CEO Lip-Bu Tan announced last summer that the company would eliminate 15,000 jobs across the company, part of an effort to cut costs and reduce layers of management that Tan said was hobbling innovation.

Intel said these latest cuts are a continuation of the downsizing the company began in July. It did not respond to a question about whether it is making similar layoffs elsewhere this week.

“These targeted actions, while difficult, are part of our efforts to strengthen our position for long-term success and support the future growth of our business,” Intel said in a written statement. “We are committed to treating all impacted employees with respect and providing resources to support them through this transition.”

Earlier this week, Tan held an all-company meeting where he discussed Intel’s outlook and his plans for the business. But he didn’t mention that more layoffs were imminent, according to employees who listened in on the call.

Intel’s layoff notice to state officials indicated the cuts are taking place at all four of its main Oregon sites. The layoffs are concentrated in Intel’s manufacturing business, with more than 300 factory technicians losing their jobs.

The Trump administration invested $8.9 billion in the company in August, becoming Intel’s largest shareholder, but the cash infusion hasn’t stopped the bleeding.

Intel has forecast about $52 billion in revenue this year, down from $79 billion in 2021. The company isn’t in any immediate financial danger, though.

In addition to the billions in federal dollars, Nvidia invested $5 billion in Intel last summer and Japanese investment firm SoftBank bought a $2 billion stake. Intel finished September with more than $30 billion in cash and short-term investments.

Intel’s stock fell 5.2% Thursday on a bad day for the market, before the company announced the Oregon layoffs, closing at $35.91. The stock has traded between $17.67 and $42.48 in the past year.

With Thursday’s cuts, this year’s layoffs now exceed the 3,000 Oregon jobs Intel eliminated in 2024. They bring the company’s local workforce down to around 16,000, the lowest point since 2012.

Intel remains Oregon’s largest corporate employer and Washington County remains the company’s largest site anywhere in the world. It’s where Intel develops each new generation of microprocessor before exporting that technology to factories in Arizona, Ireland and Israel.

Still, Thursday’s cuts represent another major hit to Oregon’s flagging economy. Employers are laying off workers nearly as fast as they did during the Great Recession, though the unemployment rate has remained modest by historical standards at roughly 5%.

Intel lays off 669 more Oregon workers as local headcount dwindles

An $8.9 billion infusion from the Trump administration hasn't stopped Intel from bleeding jobs.

www.oregonlive.com