Qualcomm has scored a big win, poaching Sailesh Kottapalli, the former head of Intel’s Xeon development, just months after rumors Qualcomm might buy the chipmaker.

Reports began circulating in September that Qualcomm was pursuing a takeover of Intel, an embarrassing turn of events for the storied chipmaker. Although the talks never went anywhere, it hasn’t stopped Qualcomm from making a move for some of Intel’s talent, specifically Kottapalli.

Kottapalli announced the news in a LinkedIn post:

As we head into 2025, I am excited to share that I have joined Qualcomm. The opportunity to innovate and grow while helping to scale new frontiers was immensely compelling to me – a once-in-a-career opportunity that I could not pass on.

Kottapalli goes on to highlight the work he did during his 28 years at Intel:

The start of this new chapter also coincides with the closing of a previous one at Intel that lasted 28 years. This experience was tremendously gratifying, and I would like to acknowledge it.

What kept me going at Intel for almost three decades was the continuous learning experience and the challenge of doing something meaningful, not just for Intel, but for the world at large. My journey took me through roles as a validation engineer, logic designer, full-chip floor planner, post-silicon debug engineer, micro architect, and architect. I worked on CPU cores, memory, IO, and platform aspects of the system, spanning multiple architectures across x86 and Itanium, and products including CPU and GPU, most importantly shaping the Xeon product line. Each role presented unique challenges and struggles, which I deeply appreciated and look back on fondly. Intel never failed to provide me with opportunities to learn and grow as a technologist, a leader, and as a person overall. I have always been inspired by numerous brilliant colleagues who motivated me to do better, and I have benefited from the guidance of many who were generous with their time and commitment as partners, supervisors, mentors, coaches, and sponsors.

Kottapalli also made a passing reference to Intel’s current situation, indicating his hope the company can turn things around:

While there is never a suitable time to end a journey, I feel good about where Xeon is right now and what is coming up next. Intel holds a special place in my heart, and I will continue cheering for its return to greatness.

It’s never a good thing when a top engineer leaves for another company. It’s even worse when that engineer shines a spotlight, however briefly, on his former company’s troubles.

Either way, Intel’s loss is certainly Qualcomm’s gain, and Kottapalli’s experience with Xeon should be a boon for Qualcomm as it moves further into the desktop and data center markets.