Only the Paranoid Survive

The President and CEO of Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, reveals how to identify and exploit the key moments of change in any industry that generate either drastic failure or incredible success

Under Andy Grove’s leadership, Intel has become the world’s largest computer chipmaker, the 5th most admired company in America, and the 7th most profitable company among the Fortune 500.

Few CEOs can claim this level of success. Grove attributes much of it to the philosophy and strategy he has learned the hard way as he has steered Intel through a series of potential major disasters.

There are moments in any business when massive change occurs, when all the rules of business shift fast, furiously and for ever. Grove calls such moments strategic inflection points (SIPs), and he has lived through several. They can be set off by almost anything – by mega competition, an arcane change in regulations, or by a seemingly modest change in technology. They are not always easy to spot – but you can’t hide from them.

Intel’s first SIP was when the Japanese started producing better-quality, lower-cost memory chips. It took Grove three years and huge losses to recognize that he had to rethink and reposition the company if it was to become, once again, a leader in its field.

Grove extrapolates the lessons he has learned from this and other SIPs – for instance the drama of the Pentium flaw, and the SIP brought on by the Internet – to reveal a unique insight into the management of change. He recounts strategies from other companies, and examines his own record of success and failure.

Only the Paranoid Survive is a classic lesson in leadership skills that every manager in every industry will benefit from. Every manager must assume that something will change – very soon.