Intel—EEOC found Intel discriminated against older workers in 2015-2016 layoffs
In February 2021, the EEOC concluded a five-year investigation finding 'reasonable cause to believe' Intel discriminated against eight workers over age 40 during 2015-2016 layoffs in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. During the layoffs involving approximately 2,300 employees, the median age of laid-off employees was 49—seven years older than the median age of employees who were retained (42). The EEOC investigation was prompted by employee complaints following the mass layoffs. This finding represents one of the clearest federal agency determinations of age discrimination in tech industry layoffs.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Inclusion | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.111 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.59)× agency (compelled ×0.25)
Evidence (1 signal)
EEOC found reasonable cause Intel violated ADEA in 2015-2016 layoffs
In February 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced its conclusion to a five-year investigation into Intel's 2015-2016 mass layoffs. The EEOC determined 'there is reasonable cause to believe that eight individuals over the age of forty (40) were laid off or otherwise separated by Respondent (Intel) in 2015 based on their age and in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.' During the layoffs involving approximately 2,300 employees, the median age of laid-off workers was 49, seven years older than the median age (42) of retained employees.