AMD is Bleeding Talent. 

In a series of posts on Arstechnica Former AMD GPU Architect is criticizing the current state of AMD. Going by the handle

Carrellk, Mr. Killebrew had a few things to say. 

 

 

On it's Board of Directors: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"AMD is losing a lot of the best people. That has to be laid at the feet of its current leadership, which includes the Board of Directors and the Chairman Bruce Claflin, not just (former CEO) Rory Read. "

 

Mr. Killebrew even uses Star Wars to reference this: 

 

"To try and stem that tide through fear, whether it has some foundation in fact or not, reminds me of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars, "The more you tighten your grip Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." Positive leadership attracts people. Repelling people, the best people, is commentary enough on AMD's leadership."

 

We found the Stars Wars Analogy quite apporpriate. :)

 

Mr. Killebrew on AMD losing talent:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Many people at AMD are looking to leave. They talk to their friends, especially those who have told people privately, "I'm' leaving", or friends who have just left. They ask, "hey, is there any room for me where you are going?"

AMD's losses of top-rate graphics talent is appalling. In order of losses, AMD lost Rick Bergman, me, Eric Demers, Clay Taylor, Bob Feldstein, Mark Leather, Fritz Kruger, and too many others to name. They've lost a substantial part of the Orlando design team to Apple (about a dozen people I hear). In our business we all know the difference between success and failure is a few percent. Lose key leadership and you've probably lost the critical few percent. Make a graphics chip a bit too power hungry, a bit too expensive, a couple of features substandard, and even more importantly miss market cycles and you start the downward spiral.

 

It's a real shame. ATI in its latter days and as part of AMD through 2011 was contending against nVidia head-to-head. It is very hard to see how that will happen in the future, and even worse to see the destruction and disintegration of a a world class team such as that."

 

We think Mr. Killebrew's statements on the GPU industry is quite appropriate as the graph below shows that AMD has lost signficant portion of discrete GPU market share. AMD had up to 40%+ market share when Killebrew was in a leadership position with him at the helm of the HD 4800 series and the 5800 series launch, when AMD held the title of the World's Fastest Single GPU for nearly 7 months until nVidia launched the Fermi based GTX 480 in spring of 2010. 

 

Mr. Killebrew is quite correct about ATI in it's latter days as part of AMD through 2011 as the Discrete Graphics Market share from Q3 2003 and Q2 2013 shows : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMD last had 40% market share was after the launch of the very successfull HD 7970 series in 2011. 

 

Compare this to current discrete GPU market share that AMD currently has a paltry 22.5%. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We can't help but believe what Mr. Killebrew states is correct. PC Gamers are an extremely fickle bunch, a GPU consuming too much power, too much money can mean the difference between winning and losing signficant market share. Just ask the now defunct 3DFX. AMD is hemmorging talent and to a certain extent as a by product is losing market share. It's a shame that Mr. Killebrew who invented Eyefinity was let go by AMD in 2011. We can't still believe why to this day that AMD will let go one of their best talents. Under his leadership up to the year 2011 AMD had lauched a string of sucessfull GPUs. The 4800 series in 2008, 5800 series in 2009, the 6900 series in 2010 and finally the HD 7900 series in 2011. Only in 2014 did AMD go the entire year without launching a high end single GPU. One can only speculate that this has to do with AMD not having enough resources to launch a high end GPU, even the launch of the Fury X was late in our estimation.

 

With AMD flirting with $2.00 share after the recent Q2 2015 revised guidance annoucement where AMD shares plunged -13%+ 

one can hope that AMD hires back Mr. Killebrew or AMD has significant talent so that they can reach at least the 35% - 40% market share in discrete GPUs that AMD previously had so that the market can be a far more competitive, thus benefiting consumers and PC Gamers.