Editorials · Readers Voice
Fed-up Verizon customers are rooting for an extreme fix
Verizon denied that SpaceX is buying it, but plenty of subscribers wish it were true.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Verizon might be better off under new leadersip. | Image by Bloomberg
Verizon might still be the top carrier by customer count, but that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing. A string of price hikes has caused hard feelings, and while the company is trying to smooth things over with customer-friendly offerings, it remains the most expensive provider in the US. Not everyone agrees the service justifies its premium price tag. This friction may be attracting takeover bids.
Recently, rumors swirled that CEO Dan Schulman was getting the house in order for a sale to SpaceX. While Verizon rejected the report, and SpaceX has since announced plans to build its own network, many of our readers were onboard with the idea.
We polled our readers on who should buy Verizon and got 3,114 responses. While 1,239 (or 38%) want things to stay as they are, an almost equal number of readers, 1,156 (37%), want SpaceX to pull the trigger.
Another 719 readers (23%) would like it to be offloaded to someone other than AT&T, T-Mobile, and SpaceX.
A change of hands was said to be on the horizon
Recently, rumors swirled that CEO Dan Schulman was getting the house in order for a sale to SpaceX. While Verizon rejected the report, and SpaceX has since announced plans to build its own network, many of our readers were onboard with the idea.
The majority wants Verizon sold
We polled our readers on who should buy Verizon and got 3,114 responses. While 1,239 (or 38%) want things to stay as they are, an almost equal number of readers, 1,156 (37%), want SpaceX to pull the trigger.
Who should buy Verizon?
Does Verizon need someone to come and save it?
Although Verizon appears to be clawing its way back, its revenue plunged 0.7% year-over-year in Q2 2026. Under Schulman, the company has been coasting on harsh cutbacks. However, slashing costs was the easy part, and now the company has to prove it has a real growth strategy.
While the Simplicity plan, Verizon Loyalty, Verizon Shine, waived activation and upgrade fees, and tax-inclusive pricing are a step in the right direction, more needs to be done. Verizon is on it, though, with chief product and revenue officer Nancy Clark telling Fierce Network that the company has more surprises in store to "break the industry mold and put customers first."
As Dan has said, we are on a journey to become truly a customer-first organization, and we do have a series of things that we will be launching that really look to break the industry mold and put customers first.
Nancy Clark, Verizon's chief product and revenue officer, August 2026
Playing it safe
Verizon has managed to steady the ship without igniting a price war, which suggests the company wants to play it safe. While Q2 performance was impressive, BNP Paribas senior analyst Sam McHugh notes that the company isn't investing enough in network infrastructure. Throw in intense competition and slowing industry growth, and it's easy to see why the buyout rumor popped up. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire.
Follow Verizon's turnaround journey:
- Dan Schulman took the helm in October
- He delivered a spectacular Q4
- But that involved harsh decisions
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