#leadership

Some of these leaders only have 4–5 direct reports, yet they carry themselves as if they're God's gift to the program. Instead of leading, it feels like their job consists of asking Gemini to write emails and forwarding them.
What's even more concerning is that some Assistant Directors seem to lack fundamental leadership skills. It appears they earned these positions through politics and bootlicking rather than proven performance, yet they're still trusted to make important decisions.
Even worse, several have never consistently come close to hitting quota, but instead of taking accountability, they blame the frontline teams. Leadership is about owning results, developing people, and setting the example—not shifting responsibility.
If someone can't effectively lead a team of five, it raises serious questions about the standards for leadership.

The corporate anti harassment training talks about a lot of bullsh-t. But no one is protected from the passive aggressive behavior especially from the new leadership and from those in the India team (which is even terrible) . Lot of positions has been eliminated by forcing people out strategically . Somoene who has knowledge in the law should file a complaint and initiate an investigation and fire these b…..rds.

AT&T “leadership” needs to wake up and start making hard decisions about where capital is actually creating value and stop wasting it on nonsense.

Starlink and SpaceX are no longer just interesting companies to watch and laugh about. They represent a serious long term existential threat to traditional telecom like AT&T, and Wall Street is clearly paying attention. The recent 30% decline in AT&T’s stock price reflects the growing concerns about the company’s future and its ability to compete in a changing industry.

AT&T employs roughly 100,000 people, and maintaining a large and widespread office footprint comes with enormous ongoing costs like office leases, utilities, HVAC, water, janitorial services, security, parking, maintenance, supplies, and countless other facilities expenses in the neighborhood of $2B-$4B annually.

A reduction in unnecessary office space and a more flexible virtual first approach could free up tens of billions of dollars used for real competitive investment. That’s capital could be redirected toward the things that will actually determine whether AT&T wins the next decade like network investment, technology, spectrum, AI, innovation, and attracting and retaining top talent.

Instead, we’re continuing to wastefully spend billions on office space each year while also building a new multi billion dollar HQ nobody (besides Stink) wants or needs. At a time when the company is facing its biggest competitive threat in history, is that really the best use of capital?

AT&T doesn’t need to waste more billions proving employees can sit in a building like it’s 1960 in 2026. It needs to spend its available billions proving it can compete in the future, and right now morale is so low because of RTO that nobody here is motivated or cares at all.

If leadership is serious about competing against starlink, then capital should follow strategy. Go after the easy low hanging fruit and reduce the unnecessary facilities and associated costs, rethink archaic RTO requirements, and invest those dollars where they’ll actually generate a real competitive return. Ending the RTO nonsense seems like one of the easiest and most obvious places to start.

Too bad this “leadership” team is full of proven losers who can’t admit they got it wrong, again. One man’s ego and stubbornness will be the demise of a once great American company. Sad!

This board could use a little balance, so here goes.

Yes, restructuring is hard — and if you were impacted, you're talented and any company would be lucky to have you. But for the rest of us: take a breath and zoom out.

We work at a company that's been trusted with the world's most important data for over four decades. The biggest banks, airlines, retailers, and telcos on the planet run on what we build. That doesn't happen by accident.

And credit where it's due — the ELT isn't hiding from hard decisions. They're making the tough calls to keep Teradata lean, focused, and built for the long haul. That's what real leadership looks like, even when it isn't popular.

The sky isn't falling. The mission is intact, the customers are still here, and so is the team. Choose to see the opportunity.

Proud to be here. 🧡

Just advice to decision makers lurking, cut directors that are useless instead of cutting low paid employees getting the job done…. There you go saved you some consultant fees.

Anyone have experience negotiating your exit from a HQ role? Not getting laid off. Leaving on your own terms when you and your leader agree the work has changed enough to not fit. Open roles are scarce for my intended trajectory.

AT&T “leadership” needs to wake up and start making hard decisions about where capital is actually creating value and stop wasting it on nonsense.

Starlink and SpaceX are no longer just interesting companies to watch and laugh about. They represent a serious long term existential threat to traditional telecom like AT&T, and Wall Street is clearly paying attention. The recent 30% decline in AT&T’s stock price reflects the growing concerns about the company’s future and its ability to compete in a changing industry.

AT&T employs roughly 100,000 people, and maintaining a large and widespread office footprint comes with enormous ongoing costs like office leases, utilities, HVAC, water, janitorial services, security, parking, maintenance, supplies, and countless other facilities expenses in the neighborhood of $2B-$4B annually.

A reduction in unnecessary office space and a more flexible virtual first approach could free up tens of billions of dollars used for real competitive investment. That’s capital could be redirected toward the things that will actually determine whether AT&T wins the next decade like network investment, technology, spectrum, AI, innovation, and attracting and retaining top talent.

Instead, we’re continuing to wastefully spend billions on office space each year while also building a new multi billion dollar HQ nobody (besides Stink) wants or needs. At a time when the company is facing its biggest competitive threat in history, is that really the best use of capital?

AT&T doesn’t need to waste more billions proving employees can sit in a building like it’s 1960 in 2026. It needs to spend its available billions proving it can compete in the future, and right now morale is so low because of RTO that nobody here is motivated or cares at all.

If leadership is serious about competing against starlink, then capital should follow strategy. Go after the easy low hanging fruit and reduce the unnecessary facilities and associated costs, rethink archaic RTO requirements, and invest those dollars where they’ll actually generate a real competitive return. Ending the RTO nonsense seems like one of the easiest and most obvious places to start.

Too bad this “leadership” team is full of proven losers who can’t admit they got it wrong, again. One man’s ego and stubbornness will be the demise of a once great American company. Sad!

This announcement from Kelly Beatty yesterday is curious. Evidently, Scot Yarbrough is heading this. Who is he. Brent LaRosa is leaving, he got the usual performative, we wish him well. Anyone else know more?

During our welcoming call, the new leader introduced himself, but obviously he forgot how we landed there, he was the CEO's executive assistant couple of years back. Note aside, If we observe this move, 3 previous executive assistants has been graduated that position with a nee executive position and big fat check.

The continuous organizational mess is masked with messages around "this is not about correction but an opportunity… this is the right path for us, to work closely”. One thing is having aspirations, but the reality is that we are not a AI-native organization, nor we can ship products every 3 weeks. Former BTP is a very large legacy organization, with strong figures that will navigate change with power politics, some are leaving like MA, but we have leaders and middle management that is obsolete and will continue to imped velocity.

Experimentation was another resource to minimize the impact of errors, of careful strategies and execution plans. Whereas experimentation is part of innovation, it is not just the means to justify mistakes for a company with such large scale. We expect leadership that has been there and done it, that are not headless moving forward.
There is an abysm between a Vision at Sapphire VS what needs to be done, the L1,L2,L3, L4 details are what matters the most: application to products, migration, infrastructure, guidance for customers, and how all the work is going to be prioritized and aligned.

HPOM theme surged into the Q&A, the failure of this program with the large amount of negative feedback was ignored and we were invited to "not draw conclusions yet".

Overall the Q&A section was answered poorly, a fresh face with a smile is not enough to lead one of the most transformational changes SAP is pushing forward. “I think… (pun intended)"

are executives empowering us? are they moving the obstacles for us? is it true that getting job done matters more than our roles? What are your thoughts?

"We've undermined the trust you have that your specific expertise and contribution will be valued, that you will grow and advance your career, and that this will be a place where you can actually have an impact."

I doubt you will hear anything like that from Chuck or the new CFO.

Does anyone believe in this guy? He seems like he’s just a slick suit and doesn’t have any actual vision for the industry.

Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Xbox, has been appointed to a Federal Reserve task force focused on jobs and productivity. This group will examine the economic effects of new technologies, including artificial intelligence. Sharma recently announced significant layoffs at Xbox. The appointment has drawn criticism due to the timing and the inclusion of other controversial figures. The task force aims to inform the Federal Reserve's policy decisions.

Washington, D.C.

https://www.engadget.com/2211983/days-after-laying-off-3-200-xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-tapped-to-advise-the-federal-reserve-on-jobs/

KD our fearless minister of people and culture will be hosting an informal meeting with the Houston staff. This will be KD’s last official visit to the United States and she is keen on commiserating and socializing. The top leadership will all go to the World Cup England match in bp’s private suite… Ta ta

Sonos has recently undergone a significant restructuring, leading to the elimination of several senior leadership positions within its design, product, and user experience departments. This move is intended to streamline the company's organizational structure and accelerate product development cycles. CEO Tom Conrad expressed a desire for the company to operate with increased speed and conviction. While the company states experienced leadership remains, some former employees worry about the impact on future innovation. The layoffs are not attributed to artificial intelligence, though AI is increasingly integrated into various business functions.

https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sonos-layoffs-company-cuts-senior-design-product-and-ux-leaders-103729.htm

Cyber Florida has undergone a department restructuring, leading to layoffs. This organizational change follows a recent leadership transition within the institution. The Florida Center for Cybersecurity was established by the Florida Legislature in 2014. The exact number of affected employees is not specified in the provided text. The article indicates the organization is at an inflection point.

Tampa, Florida

https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2026/07/09/layoffs-at-cyber-florida-point-to-restructuring.html

Microsoft’s gaming strategy has misfired badly

• A supply-chain crisis for Xbox couldn’t have come at a worse time*

IT IS NOT yet the PayPal mafia, but the Instacart matriarchy is making its mark. Not long after Fidji Simo, ex-head of the online grocery store, became Sam Altman’s product-focused sidekick at OpenAI, Asha Sharma, Instacart’s former chief operating officer, became Satya Nadella’s Ms Fix-it at Microsoft Gaming. Groceries are a tricky, low-margin business. So is Xbox—and Ms Sharma has wasted no time in getting to work. On July 6th, less than five months after becoming the division’s boss, she launched what she called the biggest reset in its 25-year history.

https://www.economist.com/business/2026/07/08/microsofts-gaming-strategy-has-misfired-badly

Ms Sharma has gone about her overhaul with a candour that is rare in the mealy-mouthed world of big tech. Declaring that Microsoft’s gaming arm is “not healthy”, she announced that 3,200 employees would be axed over the next 12 months, and that up to five loss-making studios would be shed. Her diagnosis makes two things clear: first, Mr Nadella’s gaming strategy has misfired badly; second, the entire console industry is in a supply-chain crisis. No hard-core gamer herself, the battles ahead will test Ms Sharma’s mettle.

With Mr Nadella’s attention focused on the artificial-intelligence bo-m in recent years, Xbox has suffered from neglect. Under previous management, it sought to reduce its reliance on the Xbox console and focus on its multi-platform subscription service, called Game Pass, intending to become the “Netflix of gaming”. To fuel demand, Microsoft invested what insiders say was upwards of $20bn on games and studios, in addition to the $70bn-plus it spent buying Activision Blizzard, maker of “Call of Duty”, in 2023.

Alas, Game Pass, which was meant to have 77m members this year, has fewer than 30m. Meanwhile, the multi-platform approach has undermined Microsoft’s own console business by making content available on other platforms, such as Sony’s PlayStation, which kept its own games off Xbox. Microsoft’s quarterly gaming revenue has been in decline since last autumn. Xbox’s operating margins are a meagre 3%. It has been losing market share to Nintendo, another console-maker. Bureaucracy has ballooned; in parts of the company, Ms Sharma says, work passes through 14 layers of management. Just like a real-life Pac-Woman, she intends to chomp those down to as few as three.

Her strategy is bold. The year of lay-offs will be the biggest in Xbox’s history. Her disposal of studios will end Microsoft’s attempt to hoover up indie game-developers. Yet it is not all cost-cutting. Insiders say Ms Sharma intends to invest in “Minecraft”, a hit game that was used as a cash cow rather than a growth engine and has lost significant ground to Roblox, a stable of games that competes for youngsters’ attention. She also plans to double down on mobile gaming using untapped expertise in King, creator of “Candy Crush”, which was bought with Activision.

The trickiest part will be rescuing the console. When Ms Sharma took over in February she promised “the return of Xbox”. Sales of gaming hardware have long been in decline, but insiders say Ms Sharma considers Xbox users to be her core customers, spending far more on games and services than PC players.

Yet as Ms Sharma tries to win them back, the ground is moving under her feet. When she took control of the business, AI-related demand for memory chips and other components had already caused costs to surge across the consumer-electronics industry. Within her first 50 days, input costs rose by 50%, a source at the company says. All three console-makers have been forced to announce price increases at a time when growth in the industry (excluding China) is sluggish.

The component crunch will have long-term consequences. Microsoft had hoped to increase production of consoles to support the eagerly awaited release of the latest version of “Grand Theft Auto”, made by Take-Two, a listed studio, which is rumoured to have cost a staggering $2bn to develop. The supply constraints will make it harder to increase production of consoles to meet the expected demand.

In 2028 both Microsoft and Sony are expected to launch the next generation of devices, which could also be hampered by the supply-chain chaos. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, a consultancy, says Microsoft may be hit harder, because Sony, as a consumer-electronics company, has stronger relationships with suppliers. On July 1st Sony said it would stop selling physical discs in 2028, a decision that Mr Harding-Rolls says was long in gestation but might help offset rising costs.

Some think Microsoft’s best response to both the strategic blunders and the hardware crisis would be to spin off the gaming business. Gil Luria of D.A. Davidson, an investment firm, reckons that the lumpiness of revenue as a result of seven-year console cycles is better suited to private-equity investors than to public ones.

There are still rich seams of potential growth within Xbox that Ms Sharma will hope to mine before a final decision about its future is made. But as Ben Thompson of Stratechery, a popular newsletter, puts it, “Sometimes it’s Game Over.” ■

Time Warner and should have left it alone. That was a gem of an asset that could have had significant growth but the SBC blockheads had to get their grubby paws into it and dirty up the punch bowl. You think about all the M&A over the years and what they botched, divested, ruined etc...The hubris for an SBC Telco Executive team to think they could do better than the entertainment talent of Time Warner. With AT&T Executives I see little to no connection with the masses of customers or the overwhelming majority of the employee base. I left 2+ years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Those hanging around based on some mythical package they think they will get.....times have changed and those days are over.

The SLT received HUGE comp increases for the new opentext and many are on LI announcing their promotions and sharing endlessly about their many accomplishments. Others are publicly talking about the new GTM model , clearly excited about their new raises, and some about their company paid I'm sure relocations.

It is stunning because ALL of these people have failed in their previous roles. Meanwhile, many employees announcing their entire teams were let go, the very people who were doing what they could.

There has to be some massive incentives on the table for the ELT around results in addition to their new larger salaries. It's as if they are giddy in their LI posts.

Also, completely inappropriate and poor business sense. LI is not intended for bragging. Oh, and none of them have any significant writing skills.

OpenText looks so foolish right now on LI. A company this size should have a coordinated LI plan.

Notice how much of an impact she made

Can I nominate my leader for VSP? ;)

Jeff doesn’t want you to make friends, he wants you to sit in your cube 5 days a week. Upper management have special privileges. Go ahead and leave, don’t stick around.

I think some layoffs next week are anticipated, however, they are the wrong ones. Stop cutting the ones who do the work, the ones who make things happen. Time to cut the Sr. Directors who do nothing, AVPs with 2 direct reports can do their work.

Verizon leaders should feel the same anxiety as the frontline, they say who stays and who goes like they are gods.

They sit on their thrones and hurt families, time for them to feel the same as the rest of the employees. Why do they always get to stay.

Has anyone else noticed that half the leadership in TX SAM has left in the last year? What is going on over there??

What should we know? ...See full article: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryanclagett_fintech-payments-creditunions-share-7480737705392287744-i6sg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACq7UQBsrEhzsmtOcUrxPw12id8cFohgfI

Is anyone on that call? How is Andre going to lead a marketing department when he has no energy and seemingly no experience in marketing.

Also seems like Katz was pushed out.

1. The Segment leaders have been over promoted. Most have never delivered at Fiserv and then we put them in more impactful jobs hoping for different results!

2. FIG is heavy in the SVP area (ex - Core Sales, 3 SVPs managing a handful of people running Core migrations. Same in the RM area.. lots of Chiefs and then lots of Chiefs that have Zero knowledge of the business. Clients are frustrated!

3. Net new logos SE team logs a lot travel expenses... where are the new sales? (ZERO because they are visiting existing clients because the leadership is measuring T&E as productivity!!!!!) - Measure SALES and Golf, Steak and Wine dinners - so much waste in that group.

4. If you REALLY care to know where the skeletons are... call / interview the tenured SVP and VPs that exited in the last 6 months since Divya got there. They will tell you why they left and what rocks to look under! The institutional knowledge lost is mind numbing and the clients are suffering.

5. Lots activity and no results. FIG is never a double digit growth business. But, it is also not a negative growth business. The people you have left there will sink it further.

And.. yes, I have tried to speak up... no one cares! The SVPs are merely trying to get to the next paycheck and vesting... they are not driving CHANGE!

Based on my experience, I would encourage candidates to do thorough research before accepting a position. During my interactions with the company, I came away with concerns about leadership, the hiring process, and the organization’s direction. The interview process felt disorganized and left me with little confidence in how the company was being managed. Given the recent layoffs, I would carefully consider the stability of the role before making a decision.

While Starlink is pushing the industry forward and Wall Street is raising concerns about what that could mean for AT&T, we’re still consumed by RTO, presence reports, and building a new headquarters. That’s the only focus here and it feels completely backwards.

Instead of talking about how we’re going to compete with Starlink, people are talking about badge swipes and making sure they sit in a chair for eight hours before heading home. Time that many employees once spent working extra is now spent commuting. The result is 8&skate culture where people check the box, do their eight hours, and leave. That’s not how you build an innovative company, but that’s the culture Stink has created with RTO, FTW, and Presence monitoring.

At the same time, we’re spending billions on a new headquarters nobody wants while facing one of the biggest competitive threats the company has ever seen. Shouldn’t the priority be improving our competitive position, controlling costs, and attracting and retaining the talent needed to compete?

The conversation should be about how we beat new competitors, not how many days people are in what office. If leadership wants this company to be successful, the priorities have to change. Right now, it feels like we’re looking inward while the competition is looking forward.

Time is running out, and if things don’t shift soon there won’t be an AT&T left for these egos to lord over.

https://www.lightreading.com/business-management/t-mobile-hires-former-at-t-exec-chris-sambar-for-b2b-push

Good move on Travis V. He was obvious, d-mb as dirt.

However, you need to do the same for the rest of the clowns in ISG - Directors, VPs, SVPs. A couple are okay but most have no business doing what they're getting paid to do. Just look at their track records. Their failed records speak loud and clear who should hit the bricks.

How Dell managed to bring in so many incompetent dipshiiiits in high ranking positions is a mystery.

It amazes me how many d-mb decisions those above me in leadership make. They call in multiple 3rd party companies to direct them when they have thousands of people who have worked hand in hand with clients everyday for multiple decades and know what they want.

Investing in a POS solution wasn't Genius at all. Global put it's self in a market that immediately made all of your biggest partners leave because you are now the competitor.... Instead of increasing what was huge partnerships to just handle the payment processing. Both Tsys, Heartland, and Global all had 1000s of large partners and the companys were profitable but Global blindly decides to disrupt its own base and wonder why they are going broke... Get back to the foundations and focus on being the best payment processor and partner. You cannot compete in a software world where anyone can build their own POS now. Focus on being the payment partner of choice for every software.

Well just checked multiple Sr Director and VP calendars and looks like some groups met already to proceed forward with next weeks rif.... its rare to see all of them meet same day/time and of course you can check the same day for prior weeks to see its not a normally reoccurring meeting. So I guess the lists are made and finalized, and Sr. Directors now know who is on the cut list. Obviously they can't share it early but I wish they could, just so we dont have to think about it for another week. My manager is concerned and I can't blame them... things just feel super weird lately.

Someone posted that he may be getting fired. Is there any merit to that claim? I know most people think he should be fired but I’m curious if there is any merit to the claim that he will be fired

I've always believed Dan was brought in to be the fall guy for what the board really wanted to do. At least from a reduction standpoint. I think the never ending focus on AI is more him than the board because he sees himself as a visionary. Or he wants to be seen/remembered as a visionary. That said, the one thing I heard consistently (in addition to being a hatchet man), was that Dan was not a fan of outsourcing, yet we continue to do it. Why?

So has he really changed his methods or is this more the board's decisions and he's just the face of it now...? Did AI make him do it?

How are the new leaders? Are there more restructuring or layoffs?

The leader of the largest division of Canon USA has tunnel vision and is simply focused on spreadsheets and not the real problems that trouble WTS.

If you want to other people to help sales out start off by looking in the mirror. What have you done for the WTS sales group since you took over in January?

For starters we have seen more price increases to both hardware and service while you admit the market it declining 5%-15% annually. You want us to sell more IT services but you don’t want to pay us. We can’t make more than a 2% override these days and our income is significantly decreased YOY. We then got stuck using this awful product called Google. Let’s not address the fact that not one person has acknowledged this was a great move. We simply don’t talk about it anymore because your mother told you if you have nothing nice to say don’t say it.

So when you tell those who work within WTS to help others, what have you done?

I am rooting for the grizzly bear!!!!

PLs have been given some insights this week. But are not saying anything.

Anyone wanna pop on this site and tell us what you were told this week.