Playing by the Rules: How Intel Avoids Antitrust Litigation

While Microsoft battles regulators in court, Intel stays above the fray. Here’s an inside look at the aggressive antitrust compliance program that Andy Grove put in place at the world’s biggest chip maker.

by

David B. Yoffie

and

Mary Kwak

by

David B. Yoffie

and

Mary Kwak

From the Magazine (June 2001)

Call it a tale of two titans. One is Microsoft Corporation, a $23 billion company that controls much of the market for the operating systems and business applications that run on personal computers. The other is Intel Corporation, a $34 billion company that wields similar influence over the market for the microprocessors that power PCs. Together, the two companies so dominate their industry that they’re commonly referred to as, simply, Wintel. Both are obvious targets for antitrust litigation.

A version of this article appeared in the June 2001 issue of Harvard Business Review.

DY

David B. Yoffie is the Max and Doris Starr Professor of International Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is co-author of The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation and Power (2019).
MK

Mary Kwak, in Washington, DC, is a former research associate at Harvard Business School. All information on Intel and Microsoft in this article is based on published HBS case materials and recently released government documents.

Playing by the Rules: How Intel Avoids Antitrust Litigation

Partner Center

Explore HBR

HBR Store

About HBR

Manage My Account

Follow HBR