Intel Visits Oval Office to Announce Arizona Plant It Shut Down in 2014. Whaa?

Yeah, makes your head spin how much bullshit is spun out of the White House these days.

I've liked Intel as a corp. for a long time. Don't make me go all AMD on your ass.

(Updated below)

Okay, WTF. Here's TPM's story about Intel CEO announcing a big investment in an Arizona factory:

"It's an honor to be here today representing Intel and to be able to announce our $7 billion investment in our newest most advanced factory, Fab 42, in Chandler, Arizona," Krzanich said.

The executive said the factory will produce 7-nanometer semiconductor chips and create about 3,000 direct jobs, with over 10,000 more created in support of the factory.

"Thank you, Brian," Trump said. "We have something over there that will show a little bit about the new product."

Fine. Sounds good. But, er, I followed a link later in the story and found this from The Oregonian about Intel shutting construction of the plant down in 2014:

Intel has indefinitely postponed opening a new, $5 billion factory in Arizona amid slack demand in the chipmaker’s business.

Construction began three years ago, but The Oregonian reported last spring that manufacturing tools slated for the new Fab 42 in Arizona were being diverted to Intel’s factories in Hillsboro. The Arizona Republic reported this morning that Intel will make its new, 14-nanometer chips in existing Arizona factories and mothball Fab 42.

Okay, I get it. Intel builds a plant, finds out that demand is slack, and shuts it down before production begins. Three years later, it decides to activate the plant. I have no doubt that companies do this all the time, here and abroad.

But do you have to go to the White House to make your company look somehow patriotic because, er, demand has increased? You're trashing your brand playing Trump's game. Watch out for blowback, because it's coming.

I'm only one guy, and there are only about one and a half companies that make processors -- yeah, AMD rates a "half" -- but I'm not going out of my way to make my next device have an Intel chip. Techies have memories. Time to use mine. AMD chips work, BTW.

Update. That didn't take long. First blowback was 20 minutes.