Verizon warns of pain as corporate strategy takes a dark turn
Schulman might want to temper his AI rhetoric.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's approach to AI borders on hyperfixation. | Image by Unsplash
Death is inevitable, but when your CEO asks you to use AI to draft your own obituary, it is unsettling, to say the least.
Perhaps it's a sign that Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's judgment is getting clouded by an obsession with automation. Whether a visionary or fixated, Schulman is all in on AI. He recently talked about how it will change things for employees and customers, for better and for worse.
Rather than an afterthought, AI has become a fixture of modern life, akin to web browsers or social media. Yet, this shift is a double-edged sword, unlocking unprecedented efficiency while systematically closing doors on traditional roles.
Schulman expects AI to replace 20% to 30% of the American workforce over the next two to five years. He insists that the 13,000 employees he laid off after stepping into the role of CEO were unrelated to AI, but the timing is hard to ignore.
Verizon is in a transition phase to hold on to its number-one position. Before Schulman, the company focused more on processes than outcomes. The new CEO wants to make the company more efficient and cut $9 billion in costs.
He has been telling staff to embrace AI, which he sees as central to the company's future. Verizon will be reshaped around AI, affecting all facets of its operations, including customer service.
While AI can consolidate millions of data points to spot trends that the human mind may miss, some things are better left to employees.
Verizon customers who have had to deal with AI when contacting customer service haven't been happy with the outcome.
And while Verizon insists that AI isn't to blame for the job cuts, employees who believe they have been training their replacements don't agree.
Schulman's first full quarter at the helm of Verizon was also the first quarter in a year when it didn't lose customers. The CEO has a reputation for protecting sinking ships and deserves credit for getting Verizon back on track.
However, the overreliance and overemphasis on AI have the potential to backfire. A carrier's image can be tainted if it makes itself difficult to work with. User accounts on social media suggest that customers are largely unhappy with the AI implementation. Perhaps the CEO needs to step away from the AI doomsday scenario that prompted him to conduct the eerie obituary-writing activity.
Perhaps it's a sign that Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's judgment is getting clouded by an obsession with automation. Whether a visionary or fixated, Schulman is all in on AI. He recently talked about how it will change things for employees and customers, for better and for worse.
The age of AI
Rather than an afterthought, AI has become a fixture of modern life, akin to web browsers or social media. Yet, this shift is a double-edged sword, unlocking unprecedented efficiency while systematically closing doors on traditional roles.
Schulman expects AI to replace 20% to 30% of the American workforce over the next two to five years. He insists that the 13,000 employees he laid off after stepping into the role of CEO were unrelated to AI, but the timing is hard to ignore.
Unlike peers who sugarcoat the rise of AI with promises of job creation, Schulman views it as a disruptive force. The company has established a $20 million reskilling fund to brace its employees for the kind of shift that triggered last year's layoffs.
Like it or not, we live in the age of AI. I happen to like it.
Dan Schulman, Verizon CEO, April 2026
Preparing stakeholders for a difficult change
Verizon is in a transition phase to hold on to its number-one position. Before Schulman, the company focused more on processes than outcomes. The new CEO wants to make the company more efficient and cut $9 billion in costs.
What should carriers use AI for?
Change for the better
While AI can consolidate millions of data points to spot trends that the human mind may miss, some things are better left to employees.
And while Verizon insists that AI isn't to blame for the job cuts, employees who believe they have been training their replacements don't agree.
Schulman needs to calm down
Schulman's first full quarter at the helm of Verizon was also the first quarter in a year when it didn't lose customers. The CEO has a reputation for protecting sinking ships and deserves credit for getting Verizon back on track.
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