He turned the job down. Twice
He turned the job down. Twice.
Dan Schulman was retired. Happily. Roping horses on a ranch in Montana.
Verizon's board came calling. He said no. They came back. He said no again.
The third time, he agreed — out of obligation, not ambition. He signed a 27-month contract. Then he announced 13,000 layoffs, the largest single reduction in Verizon's history. On the way in.
Most new CEOs spend year one building consensus. Schulman spent his rebuilding conviction — in the company, in the culture, and in what Verizon owed its customers.
He killed the "best network" narrative. Said aloud what his engineers didn't want to hear: the gap is closing.
This quarter, Verizon posted its first positive Q1 subscriber additions since 2013. The number: 55,000 postpaid phone net adds against expectations for a loss of 84,000. Adjusted EPS grew 7.6%, the strongest quarterly growth since 2021. Guidance raised.
The stock has climbed roughly 16% since October. Rivals are flat. How much is Schulman and how much is a broader telecom rerating remains the open question.
While the numbers were landing, Schulman was publicly challenging Fortune 100 CEOs to commit $20-30 million each toward a joint AI reskilling fund for displaced workers.
Schulman treats trust as an operating asset. The reskilling push builds external credibility while the restructuring reshapes costs internally. That combination is rare.
At Eagle Talon, we read this through a leadership lens. A CEO spending political capital externally while cutting costs internally signals conviction that the turnaround has structural legs, not just favorable comps.
A 27-month contract creates urgency alongside conviction. Whether these early results reflect a durable shift or the natural energy of a short timeline is worth watching.
What's your read on CEOs who start with the hardest decision first — does it signal conviction, or just a short timeline?
🔗 Source: Dan Schulman's Plan to Get Verizon Back in the Fight
