AMD is losing its general counsel Tom McCoy, the guy who, blessed with the patience of Job, finally scratched Intel.

McCoy is retiring and, after spending 15 years trying to land a punch on Intel, is going back to his old firm O'Melveny & Myers to work out of Washington and share his expertise with other needy companies.

It took McCoy roughly a decade to apply enough pressure in the right places - lobbying evidently pays - to get regulators to move against Intel - first in Japan and Korea, both relatively toothless exercises, then in Europe, which cost Intel a historic all-time-high fine of $1.46 billion that it's appealing, and now has Intel negotiating a consent decree with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that could see its pricing tricks changed - we should know sometime between now and July 22.

Meanwhile, AMD settled its great private antitrust suit against Intel for $1.25 billion cash though Lord knows whether it broke even on that deal.

Intel still has to deal with a McCoy-inspired antitrust suit lodged by New York State Attorney General and wannabe governor Andrew Cuomo.

McCoy's getting a $4 million departure bonus for his trouble.