This question saved Intel. Are you asking it?

Intel faced dominance by Japanese competitors in the memory chip market in 1985. Leadership debated what to do, and Andy Grove asked Gordon Moore what a replacement CEO would do. Moore answered that the new CEO would get Intel out of the memory business. The realization forced action, and Intel exited memory while doubling down on microprocessors. The shift reshaped Intel and influenced the technology industry. The broader lesson centers on judgment in innovation. Organizations often have many ideas but struggle to choose and commit to the right process. Promising projects can stall due to uncertain markets or long scaling timelines, becoming “zombie projects” that consume talent, leadership attention, and budgets without becoming real businesses.

"In 1985, Intel was in trouble. Japanese competitors were dominating the memory chip market that Intel had helped invent. Inside the company, leadership debated what to do. During one conversation, Andy Grove, then Intel's president and COO, asked CEO Gordon Moore a deceptively simple question: "If we were replaced tomorrow, what would a new CEO do?" Moore didn't hesitate. "He would get us out of the memory business.""

"The two men looked at each other and realized something uncomfortable. They already knew the answer; they just hadn't acted on it. Intel exited the market that had defined its identity and doubled down on microprocessors, a decision that reshaped the company and ultimately the technology industry. The lesson wasn't just about strategy. It was also about the strategic courage to say no. But that only matters if it creates room for something better."

"Most organizations celebrate experimentation. But after years working with large innovation portfolios, one pattern has become clear to me. The limiting factor isn't the supply of ideas: it's the ability to choose between them and identify the right process to take the winning one forward. Every organization accumulates projects that once looked promising but never quite gain momentum. The technology works, but the market is uncertain; or the prototype impresses internally, but scaling would take years."

"These projects rarely fail outright. Instead, they linger as "zombie projects," shuffling along year after year, absorbing talent, leadership attention, and budget without ever becoming a real business. Over time, they quietly drain the most valuable resources innovation needs, starting with leadership attention. And because every dollar and person-hour you commit to these ideas is unavailable elsewhere, you must prove that the idea is worth it. Large organizations are especially vulnerable to this dynamic. Not because they lack capability, but because sc"

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