Intel is undergoing sweeping changes as it struggles to regain ground in the global semiconductor industry. Since the start of 2025, the company has faced mounting financial pressure and is now reshaping its workforce and workplace policies to streamline operations.
In its second-quarter earnings report, Intel disclosed a net loss of $2.9 billion, widening from the $1.6 billion loss in the same period last year. Revenue growth remained stagnant, further highlighting the company’s challenges. To offset weak performance, Intel announced plans to reduce its workforce by 15 per cent this year, cutting roughly 25,000 jobs and ending 2025 with around 75,000 employees.
Alongside layoffs, the chipmaker introduced a stricter return-to-office mandate. Employees are now required to work from the office four days a week, a significant shift from more flexible arrangements. The company’s leadership has stressed that building a leaner, more accountable organisation is central to its turnaround strategy.
At the same time, Intel has quietly scaled back its public emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Last year’s Corporate Responsibility Report featured a detailed 16-page section outlining goals for pay equity, supplier diversity, inclusive hiring, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. This year, those details are absent. While the company still mentions fostering inclusion and providing access to opportunities in the digital economy, specific DEI initiatives have been removed.
Intel’s strategy reflects broader corporate shifts, as many US firms scale back or eliminate DEI programmes in the current political climate—raising questions about the long-term impact on talent, innovation and workplace culture.
