Tan steps into his position after the tumultuous tenure of former CEO Pat Gelsinger, whose leadership saw Intel grappling with declining performance across all business sectors. This was exacerbated by the company's inability to leverage the early opportunities presented by the AI boom, allowing rivals like AMD and NVIDIA to gain substantial ground. As Tan begins his leadership journey, there is a renewed sense of optimism about the company's prospects, although restoring Intel's status in the industry is unlikely to be straightforward.