Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has swiftly become a controversial figure in the political and technology space following his appointment in March this year. Off the back of an aggressive restructuring and layoff program, which has seen Intel scale back its ambitions in a number of industries, he's drawn attention for his heavy investments in Chinese companies - some 600 in total - a number of which allegedly have ties to the Chinese military. Lately, he was even called to the White House to face down the President, who called for his resignation, though that demand was later walked back following the meeting.
Born in what is now Malaysia and educated in Singapore, Tan moved to the United States in the 70s and studied business administration. He would later go on to become a founder of the venture capital firm Walden International in the late 1980s. During his tenure there, he focused its funding on startups in Asia, and was an early investor in the partially-state-owned Semiconductor Manufacturer International Corporation (SMIC), which is now the largest chip manufacturer in China.
