Viral Verses

On Aug. 4, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger posted a Bible verse on social media. That’s not unusual. He does that virtually every Sunday. However, this time the verse went viral because just three days earlier he had sent a note to employees to announce the company would be eliminating about 15% of its workforce (which is more than 15,000 jobs). The move came after the tech company posted a $1.6 billion loss in the second quarter of 2024 (that put the company down $2 billion for the year). The day after Gelsinger’s memo, Intel’s stock plummeted 26%, making it the company’s worst stock day in 50 years and its lowest level in over a decade. When Gelsinger posted a Bible verse two days later, many people read his tweet in that context.

“‘Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways’ Proverbs 4:25-26,” Gelsinger tweeted three days after announcing the forthcoming layoffs.

The verse struck many as him using religion to try and save the company. The tech and science online publication Gizmodo headlined their article, “Things are so bad at Intel that the boss is posting Bible verses.” The writer suggested the verse was part of Gelsinger’s effort to deal with the corporate problems.

“Verse 4 is a bit from King Solomon where he gives out fatherly advice to his sons. The whole thing is an entreaty to the reader to stay on the straight and narrow, and avoid wicked thoughts and corrupt speech. Basically, keep your mouth shut and your eye on the prize,” Matthew Gault wrote. “Tweeting out Bible verses isn’t a good way to calm investor panic.”

Gelsinger hasn’t said why he chose to post that particular verse. It’s quite likely it wasn’t part of his strategy to deal with Intel’s financial problems. After all, he does post a verse each Sunday, which makes up about a third of his tweets since he doesn’t post that much. He’s long been outspoken about his faith in media interviews and when talking to Christian groups. Perhaps that’s why his verses before the layoffs got little attention, getting just two or three dozen retweets, a few hundred likes, and a dozen or so replies. But his Aug. 4 verse from Proverbs received more 4,500 retweets (many of which include a critical quote on top of his tweet), 16,000 likes, and 1,200 replies.

More than the verse, the timing seems to be what sparked the criticism. It’s possible other verses he tweeted recently would’ve similarly gone viral had he posted them on Aug. 4. Like his July 21 tweet from Psalm 133:1 about “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Or his July 14 post from Matthew 11:38 declaring, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” For those unfamiliar with his practice, it seemed odd that his first tweet after the layoffs announcement and stock market plunge was a Bible verse. In that moment, any verse would’ve likely sparked some criticism.

Gelsinger is not alone. Other public figures also regularly tweet a random Bible verse on Sundays. And sometimes that creates an incongruity with the news. So this issue of A Public Witness gets biblical online to look inside this practice of tweeting the Bible.