Former T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert steps down as major reorganization reportedly gets shelved
Sievert parts ways just as Deutsche Telekom pauses merger talks.
The timing raises some questions. | Image by Burke Construction Group
T-Mobile recently experienced a couple of notable internal shifts. First, former CEO Sievert, who had retained leadership roles, is leaving the company completely. Second, T-Mobile's parent company, Germany-based Deutsche Telekom (DT), has reportedly shelved its merger plans.
Sievert joined T-Mobile back in 2012 and took over as CEO in April 2020. He handed over the position to Srini Gopalan in October 2025 but remained as Vice Chairman and a member of the board.
According to an SEC filing spotted by Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner, Sievert is resigning from both positions, matching the expiration of his agreement with the company, which allowed for an extension.
T-Mobile says his departure doesn't stem from any disagreement over company policies.
Bloomberg reports that DT has paused its plan to merge with T-Mobile due to resistance from the works council. While DT isn't making a formal bid right now, it hasn't ruled out revisiting the move later.
A late July report said that T-Mobile's US executives didn't want to combine with DT due to the parent company's slower growth rate. The US government wasn't making the proposed deal any easier, demanding guarantees that T-Mobile's revenue would remain within the country.
In September, activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which has a significant stake in DT, asked the company to abandon the proposed deal.
Sievert's resignation and news of DT putting the merger on the back burner arrived just as T-Mobile announced its Q3 results. While Postpaid Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) increased 4% year-over-year and postpaid net account additions hit 274 thousand, churn also rose from 0.97% to 1.09%.
Moving on
Sievert joined T-Mobile back in 2012 and took over as CEO in April 2020. He handed over the position to Srini Gopalan in October 2025 but remained as Vice Chairman and a member of the board.
T-Mobile says his departure doesn't stem from any disagreement over company policies.
Deutsche Telekom backs off
Bloomberg reports that DT has paused its plan to merge with T-Mobile due to resistance from the works council. While DT isn't making a formal bid right now, it hasn't ruled out revisiting the move later.
DT holds a 50% stake in T-Mobile, and a full merger would have resulted in the world's largest telecom operator. However, signs had already emerged that merging the two entities would be difficult due to internal and external opposition.
What's happening at T-Mobile?
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Opposition
A late July report said that T-Mobile's US executives didn't want to combine with DT due to the parent company's slower growth rate. The US government wasn't making the proposed deal any easier, demanding guarantees that T-Mobile's revenue would remain within the country.
Interesting timing
Sievert's resignation and news of DT putting the merger on the back burner arrived just as T-Mobile announced its Q3 results. While Postpaid Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) increased 4% year-over-year and postpaid net account additions hit 274 thousand, churn also rose from 0.97% to 1.09%.
Are these three developments somehow connected? Was Sievert allowed to step down to make the leadership more receptive to a merger? Only time will tell.
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