An analyst friend of mine recently said, “When you are talking to someone at Intel, it’s always difficult to understand where that person really fits in the organization. Everyone says they “own” something – until it’s time to step up and be accountable.”

That’s a bit harsh, but understandable after last month’s community feedback that showed Intel very little mercy.

I’ve been a strategic marketing and communications consultant for more than 25 years, and I was surprised by the community reaction to Intel’s announcement of exascale leadership. It was clearly not something to be ignored. In fact, if I were the one advising Intel on how to handle this, I’d certainly tell them to meet it head on – admit your faults, clarify the misunderstandings, state the facts correctly, and convince the community through both words and actions that you are in fact taking this seriously and will put the steps in place to correct it moving forward.