Verizon wants to do more of what customers hate and employees dread
Verizon CEO says AI will replace (more?) jobs.
Verizon is all in on AI. | Image by Yellow Pages
Verizon laid off 13,000 workers last year after CEO Dan Schulman took over and dropped a few more just last month. If you thought the carrier was done with shrinking its headcount, think again.
During the Bloomberg Tech conference, Schulman made no bones about the fact that AI will replace a large percentage of the customer care workforce and disrupt certain job functions.
Embracing AI is part of the CEO's strategy to revive Verizon, which had a dismal 2025. The company lost subscribers for three consecutive quarters, but, as is apparent from the Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 results, Schulman is slowly righting the ship.
Schulman sees Verizon as a bit of a bureaucracy, and his vision is to make it more innovative and risk-tolerant to better look after customers.
The exec is optimistic about AI's ability to handle straightforward tasks such as resetting passwords or digging up bill amounts. More complex queries will be routed to AI-assisted human employees.
Verizon customers regularly complain about having to jump through hoops just to reach a human agent. Many have found AI bots inept at helping them.
While Verizon has insisted since last year that complicated questions are directed to employees, customers say they are still mostly dealing with robots.
The company uses a mix of AI models, including Anthropic's Mythos and Google's Gemini.
Schulman has acknowledged that Verizon has let customers down, vowing to treat them like humans instead of account numbers. The company even poached an exec from T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom (DT), to use AI to define its next steps.
In the meantime, customer satisfaction isn't exactly soaring. On top of canned replies and modified voices, users are facing longer wait times at stores. Many have also been complaining about slow speeds.
While AI is here to stay, perhaps Schulman should curb his enthusiasm and take a more level-headed approach to rolling it out.
He didn't explicitly mention immediate cuts, but the grapevine has it that the next round of layoffs is scheduled for July 16.
AI is coming for the jobs
During the Bloomberg Tech conference, Schulman made no bones about the fact that AI will replace a large percentage of the customer care workforce and disrupt certain job functions.
Embracing AI is part of the CEO's strategy to revive Verizon, which had a dismal 2025. The company lost subscribers for three consecutive quarters, but, as is apparent from the Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 results, Schulman is slowly righting the ship.
Chatbots to the rescue
Schulman sees Verizon as a bit of a bureaucracy, and his vision is to make it more innovative and risk-tolerant to better look after customers.
Verizon is a big, bureaucratic company. It loves its processes. It loves to show its work. But I’m about outcome and how fast can we move the company forward.
Dan Schulman, Verizon CEO, June 2026
The exec is optimistic about AI's ability to handle straightforward tasks such as resetting passwords or digging up bill amounts. More complex queries will be routed to AI-assisted human employees.
How should Verizon go about its AI-led transition?
Don't AI-wash cost-saving measures like layoffs.
40%
Use AI to make products better.
15.65%
Don't downsize before ensuring AI tools work.
44.35%
Customers would just like to speak to a human, please
Verizon customers regularly complain about having to jump through hoops just to reach a human agent. Many have found AI bots inept at helping them.
While Verizon has insisted since last year that complicated questions are directed to employees, customers say they are still mostly dealing with robots.
The company uses a mix of AI models, including Anthropic's Mythos and Google's Gemini.
Walk the talk
Schulman has acknowledged that Verizon has let customers down, vowing to treat them like humans instead of account numbers. The company even poached an exec from T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom (DT), to use AI to define its next steps.
In the meantime, customer satisfaction isn't exactly soaring. On top of canned replies and modified voices, users are facing longer wait times at stores. Many have also been complaining about slow speeds.
Yesterday convinced the AI to transfer me to someone live. That was over 24 hours ago.. still waiting for a live agent...
su_A_ve, Reddit user, June 2026
I just can't even anymore with companies laying off workers and replacing them with subpar AI.
Hot_Saguaro, Reddit user, June 2026
While AI is here to stay, perhaps Schulman should curb his enthusiasm and take a more level-headed approach to rolling it out.
He didn't explicitly mention immediate cuts, but the grapevine has it that the next round of layoffs is scheduled for July 16.
Have heard some chatter that July 16 will be another cut.
Temporary-Couple-226, Reddit user, July 2026
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