The dividend was reinstated. Our jobs weren't.

Intel cut 15,000 jobs and suspended the dividend on the same earnings call. Three months later, the dividend was reinstated. The jobs weren't. I don't fully understand every capital allocation decision involved. What I do understand is that 15,000 families lost their income to stabilise a company that, within a quarter, had enough capital to reinstate shareholder payments. That order of priorities is a choice. It's not inevitable. It's not the only option. It's a choice made by people accountable to shareholders, not to the people who built the products. I had a kid starting secondary school in September. I spent the summer wondering if I could still afford the same neighbourhood. The dividend was reinstated in November. Write that down.