Intel's former CEO's strategy has resurfaced: during economic downturns, companies should "increase R&D investment" rather than "shrink."

According to Mars Finance, on May 12th, technology industry analyst Tim Bajarin wrote an article reviewing Intel's strategies for coping with various economic crises, stating that the company's continued expansion of R&D investment during downturns was a key reason for its subsequent return to growth. The article mentions that during the 2008 global financial crisis, then-Intel CEO Paul Otellini did not cut R&D budgets due to the economic recession; instead, he chose to "increase his bets" on next-generation product development. He believed that no matter how severe the crisis, the economy would eventually recover, and Intel had to prepare products to adapt to the next growth cycle. Subsequently, between 2010 and 2012, with the explosion of the smartphone, social media, and gaming industries, the market demand for high-performance chips grew rapidly, and Intel successfully benefited from this round of technological expansion. The article also points out that although the world is currently facing pressures such as rising energy prices, geopolitical tensions, and rising living costs, since ChatGPT ignited the AI boom in 2023, artificial intelligence has become a major engine driving a new round of technology investment. The author argues that historical experience shows that the companies that can truly weather economic cycles are often not those that cut the most costs during recessions, but those that continue to invest in the future during uncertain times.