{"id":3679,"date":"2025-11-15T18:37:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T23:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/?page_id=3679"},"modified":"2025-11-19T19:35:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T00:35:55","slug":"calculated-risks-unchecked-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/featured-stories\/calculated-risks-unchecked-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Calculated Risks, Unchecked Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\"Dave\n\n\n\n
\n

Calculated Risks, Unchecked Gratitude<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Story by Ann Lyon Ritchie
Photography by Clara Rice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intel CFO David Zinsner puts his all into every corporate transformation and does not forget to return a favor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Zinsner (B.S. 1991) built a path to the executive level by mastering the art of leading through change. He has spent more than three decades in the semiconductor industry, navigating waves of innovation and upheaval with steady leadership. Staying decisive under pressure has made him a trusted figure among the industry\u2019s giants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Leading Through Transformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Intel, a behemoth in the world of makers of computer components, recruited Zinsner to his current position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and executive vice president in January 2022. The company tapped him as co-interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) during a four-month transition before the board elected CEO Lip-Bu Tan in March 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIntel is one of the most prominent technology companies in the world, but we\u2019re up against more challenges now than we have been in the past,\u201d Zinsner said. \u201cWe are trying to streamline the organization. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in driving Intel\u2019s transformation into what the industry and technology need today, but I find it rewarding as we make progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is leading operational changes and pushing competitiveness in AI, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. \u201cOur plan is to reduce operating expenses to $16 billion, down from having been on a trajectory to be at $25 billion by 2026,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will help not only protect our profitability but also speed up innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made significant progress relative to our competitors to catch up on technology,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Decades of Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An ability to steer through uncertainty is a gift. Zinsner was unsure of his career path as a Moon Area High School student with broad interests that include math, pre-med, music, and the Steelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFootball introduced me to Carnegie Mellon University because the coach arranged my campus visit and tour, even though I didn\u2019t end up playing on the team,\u201d he said. The Pittsburgh native still tries to attend a Steelers game at least once a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took his first finance course in the summer after sophomore year. \u201cIt was like the clouds parted,\u201d he said. \u201cI just loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinsner credits CMU and the Tepper School for lifelong friendships, including the one with his first-year roommate. \u201cI met him at college, and we\u2019ve been best friends ever since,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentors in the field supported his rise to leadership, particularly when Zinsner started at the electronic systems company Harris Corporation (now L3Harris) in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI joined Harris as an analyst, but I worked closely with the leadership team, who leveraged me to conduct analysis around the balance sheet,\u201d he said. From this vantage point, he helped build an optimal capital structure to maximize the firm\u2019s value and shareholder wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in 1999, Harris spun off Intersil, a new semiconductor company formed from a leveraged buyout by a private equity firm. Positioned to become Intersil\u2019s treasurer, Zinsner faced a big obstacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Dave\n\n\n\n

\u201cHarris and Intersil had agreed not to hire from each other,\u201d Zinsner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, his mentor, the Harris treasurer, rallied on his behalf. As a result, the company made an exception to allow him to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis notion that Harris gave me up has stuck with me,\u201d Zinsner said. \u201cLater, I learned that Harris’s leadership took the time to discuss which role would be better for me and picked it. It was unselfish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinsner advanced to the C-suite by age 35, serving in his first corporate leadership role as Intersil\u2019s senior vice president and CFO from 2005 to 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have helped develop others who have gone on to be CFOs for other companies,\u201d Zinsner said. \u201cI\u2019m happy they\u2019ve moved on to pursue opportunities aligned with their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lasting career in financial leadership has put him in the C-suite at Analog Devices (2009\u20132017), Affirmed Networks (2017\u20132018), and Micron Technology (2018\u20132022). He also served for five years on the board of Credo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c2005 was my first July earnings call, and 2025 is my twentieth year doing it,\u201d Zinsner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family and Gratitude<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the boardroom, he is an avid world traveler who draws inspiration from global cultures and perspectives. He recently vacationed in Croatia to celebrate two of his children\u2019s college graduations. A proud father, he is enjoying raising an energetic toddler and baby from a second marriage, in addition to keeping up with his three grown children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is also an enthusiastic supporter of the Tepper School of Business, giving back to the institution that started his journey. He donates and volunteers as a speaker. \u201cCMU developed me socially as much as it developed me academically,\u201d Zinsner said. \u201cSome high schoolers know what they want to go into, but that was not me. I feel that I should give back out of a sense of gratitude. CMU took a chance on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grateful for each new opportunity, Zinsner is ever ready to meet the next challenge. \u201cWhat I have discovered is that I like transformations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Zinsner (B.S. 1991) shares how his ability to lead corporate transformations stems from a supportive CMU education and the lasting impact of mentorship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3870,"parent":2664,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3679","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3679"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4257,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3679\/revisions\/4257"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.tepper.cmu.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}