Randall L. Stephenson – A Dazzling Star In The World Of Telecommunication
High-speed Internet is a very important part of our world. For the past two decades, everything is getting better and faster. Development throughout the world has been growing exponentially. CEO’s like Randall L. Stephenson helps the companies to grow and take the company to the next level.
But, it’s human nature to look beyond. The sheer curiosity and passion are what drives mankind to learn and discover more. With the establishment of fast-growing technology and efficient network, speed has become a very important factor. It has been just a couple of years that we settled with the 4G speed that 5G is paving its way.
Telecommunication Companies
The multinational telecommunication conglomerates are working for faster networks. Mass media, telecommunication, and technology together can create the strongest devices for transport and communication.
AT&T is one of the greatest companies of all time for telecommunication. And, Randall L. Stephenson being the current Chairman and CEO of the company is one of the powerful men in the industry. He acquired this position in May 2007.
Who is Randall L. Stephenson?
Randall started his career in 1982. Over the years, he has become a true leader serving the world with faster Internet and much more. AT&T has grown significantly under his leadership and made the greatest acquisitions.
He believes in competing. According to Randall, competitions help fetch the best quality products faster.
Early Career
Randall completed his Master’s from the University of Oklahoma. His career started with the company, Southwestern Bell Telephone. He served the company for a good long time.
When he started working for the company in 1982 he got a job in the IT sector. Over the years he did well in the finance sector and got a chance to work abroad. Randall fled to Mexico for his job and there he received training from Carlos Slim, one of the richest and most successful Mexican businessmen.
In 2001, Randall became the chief financial officer of SBC (Southwestern Bell Corporation). By the next couple of years, he helped the company coming out of debt worth $30 billion. In 2004, Randall got promoted as the Chief Operating Officer of the company. Before this post, Randall played his role as the chairman of the Board of Directors for Cingular Wireless.
The Great Success
Though Randall was doing great at the very beginning of his career, the real deal came in 2005. This year, SBC acquired AT&T and Randall continued in the company as COO. SBC changed its name to AT&T after the acquisition and in 2007 Randall became the CEO of the company.
The story doesn’t end here. Randall also became the Chairman of the Business Roundtable in 2014. He continued this position for a couple of years.
AT&T
Bell Telephone Company and AT&T are correlated and their history dates back to 1877. The founder of the Bell Telephone Company is Alexander Graham Bell. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company was a subsidiary of Bell Telephone Company.
All the subsidiaries and the former parent company merged in 2005. And the newly formed company changed its name to AT&T. The company also acquired Cingular Wireless and renamed it as AT&T Mobility.
AT&T’s Growth after 2007
Randall’s leadership changed the face of the company forever.
In 2013, the company decided to expand to Latin America through a partnership with America Mobil. The next year AT&T acquired Iusacell (Mexican carrier) and NII Holdings (Mexican Wireless Business). The two companies were merged and named as AT&T Mexico.
In July 2015, the company acquired DirecTV for $48.5 billion and in October 2016 Time Warner for $108.7 billion. These are the two biggest acquisitions in the history of the company.
The biggest news for AT&T came in 2017. It became the largest telecommunication company around the world and also the largest provider of the mobile telephone.
Criticism
Randall faced a lot of difficulties and hard situations after the acquisition of Time Warner. In September 2019, Elliott Management published a letter questioning the position of Randall in AT&T. Elliott made some suggestions regarding the company and Randall stepping down from his position was one of them. This situation has not been a friendly one for the company’s reputation.
Fighting Social Drawbacks
Randall is a great social influencer who promotes anti-racism. He gave a speech about how it is affecting our society and pulling us back from the true sense of development. Randall is a person who deeply believes in equality and preaches the same.
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more