Thread regarding GlobalFoundries layoffs

The future is actually quite bright for Malta. Wafer starts are up and I notice a lot of enthusiam from the team. We're really turning the corner here and are on track for some big wins in 2019. Stay the course and carry on team. We can do this!

Access to IBM research in Albany and world class IBM researchers? I have great respect for their concept and early pathfinding work, but IBM experts have no idea how to develop and roll out a yielding technology on time.

IBM 7nm, ran by IBM management failed - even given nearly 4 years runway to put something out in 2019. Gut infrastructure, implement failed IBM technology developers and guess what?

Remember 32nm and when everyone left the IBM fab club?

65nm/45nm CELL processor low yields for game consoles

Should we talk about 90nm @ IBM and the Apple business? Such a bad situation Apple redesigned architecture to work with intel.

There are data points after data points that IBM cannot delivery yielding tech on time. Great R&D, just not at realizing production.

Foundry Technology Development requires enabling first time right yielding silicon, these are not the folks to achieve that.

Why do you need R&D? IBM Research in Albany does all of the R&D for GF, and they have access to further world class IBM Research in Yorktown Heights and Almaden (San Jose). GF never had any real R&D - this just makes it official, and far more efficient. Tom knew what he was doing when he got rid of dozens of high paid PhDs who never set foot in the fab.

Anyone out there who still has respect for TC and GF upper management?

An earlier post on a different topic where one writer claimed that TC was a "man" for making the "tough decision" to stop 7nm. Really? Anyone at GF saw how this whole thing was handled. TC and SLT SAID NOTHING. TC had a planted question in one of comm meetings where someone asked about 7nm and he sort of gave an answer that probably there may be some possible action on 7nm. THEN NOTHING--NADA--Goose egg--Zilch - just let the rumour mill get everyone prepared (way to go with being a MAN, TC). Then we were under the impression from some our higher ups (2nd and 3rd line) that they were the proverbial Schultz and claimed "I know nothing." about the whole thing. Yet when Black Tuesday came, all of those who "knew nothing" were miraculously still employed at GF or already had jobs lined up outside of GF.

As far as TC made a "tough decision" goes, how tough was it? He's still employed and probably getting a big fat bonus for all the money he "saved" by killing the program--yeah, must be losing a lot of sleep over it (ok, maybe he lost some time in the tanning booth working on how much he needed to cut). He's the CEO and that's what he can do but please don't turn him into a martyr, he's far from it.

This is the "transparent leadership" that GF claims to be? It is neither transparent nor leading. It is a disaster--morale is in the toilet, employees have no trust of management and 1/2 the engineers are spending a lot of time looking at other places to work. AMD is pushing out the 7nm products (made at TSMC) so that doesn't bode well for 14LPP (which is the only process left @ Fab8).

(Yes, I already left so don't post some stupid reply about if I don't like it I should leave.)

It is IBM Microelectronics 2.0 - it's a management company supported by a semiconductor fab instead of the other way around. There is zero future at GF. It's all managers, some new engineering graduates, and techs. Mostly managers and HR though with no R&D. The weight of IBM mgmt sank it and they will do the same to GF.

Hmmm...let's see. In my org, we had 1-2nd line mgr, 4-1st line mgrs and about maybe 32 engineers. So 2nd line survived, 3 of 4 1st lines survived and 8 of 32 engineers survived...kind of sets the mark. 100%-2ndline mgr, 75%-1st line mgr, 25%-frontline engineers. Reminds of the Titanic survival rates between 1st, 2nd and 3rd class--very fitting.