By Graham K. Rogers

Bloomberg (Lisa Rapaport) are reporting that President and CEO of Intel, Paul Otellini is to retire in May having spent almost 40 years at the company. The board of Intel is seeking a replacement for the retiring CEO, looking both inside the company and externally, although the appointment is expected to come from within Intel.

Trading in the shares of Intel were halted.

More information on this story, as well as a video clip of Otellini, is available on the Bloomberg site. Information is also available via an Intel news release.

The question arises as to who will replace Mr Otellini. Although the company suggests the new appointment is to come from inside, one is forced to wonder about the recent and coincidental departure of Steve Sinofsky from Microsoft. Like Stephen Elop before who ended up as CEO of Nokia, could this be a Ballmer Trojan Horse: three little Steves all in a row?

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.