"We apologize and we are deeply sorry if we offended anyone," says Intel, though it carefully avoids admitting having anything to apologize for–and has no intention of restoring the ads it pulled from a site that was sharply critical of sexism in game culture, a significant market for the chipmaker.
We take feedback from customers seriously. For the time being, Intel has decided not to continue with our current ad campaign on the gaming site Gamasutra. However, we recognize that our action inadvertently created a perception that we are somehow taking sides in an increasingly bitter debate in the gaming community. That was not our intent, and that is not the case. When it comes to our support of equality and women, we want to be very clear: Intel believes men and women should be treated the same. And, diversity is an integral part of our corporate strategy and vision with commitments to improve the diversity of our workforce. And while we respect the right of individuals to have their personal beliefs and values, Intel does not support any organization or movement that discriminates against women. We apologize and we are deeply sorry if we offended anyone.
A press release issued at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday, too. Heh.
