Intel is a company in crisis, failing to compete with the products of its booming rivals and struggling to get back on its feet after a high-profile leadership shakeup and devastating layoffs. The last thing it needs is to be in the crosshairs of an increasingly dictatorial federal government.

Bu Tan was already at odds with some board members before President Trump jumped into the fray.Tan and some Intel directors have disagreed in his first months in the role about questions as central as whether the company should stay in the manufacturing business or exit it entirely,