Legere ended his presentation to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week with eight predictions for 2017. Among them was that three CEOs from America’s four largest telecom companies would be replaced.
Other than T-Mobile, these include AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Legere wouldn’t specify which leader would survive, exclaiming “I’ll leave it there,” according to reports.
Of course, none of the aforementioned companies would agree with Legere, who is known for taunting competitors on Twitter. But there’s little doubt that 2017 will be a challenging year for the industry, and, as other reports have noted, many of Legere’s predictions in previous years have come true.
AT&T, which is headed by Chief Executive’s 2016 CEO of the Year, Randall Stephenson, is poised to find out if regulators will approve its proposed $85 billion bid for Time Warner.
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, meanwhile, is in the midst of a $4.8 billion deal to buy Yahoo.
Both deals could fall over: Donald Trump has indicated he may oppose AT&T/Time Warner, while Verizon is grappling with a massive email hacking scandal at Yahoo that could prompt it to lower its offer.
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure isn’t preoccupied with any live deals, though he did say in 2015 that the company would be stronger if it tied up with a cable company. T-Mobile itself is widely rumored as a possible merger partner for Sprint and Legere isn’t ruling anything out.
“In the future structure of the industry, there are a number of people who think it may make sense from a scale standpoint to consider the coming together of T-Mobile and Sprint,” Legere said when pressed by journalists.
Among his other predictions, Legere expects Commcast and Verizon to enter merger discussions and for Google to enter the the wireless market.
He also expects his “Slow Cooker Sunday” Facebook Live segments, which show him preparing Sunday dinner, to surpass 1 million viewers, gaining him a bigger audience than cable TV channels such as MTV and Comedy Central.
Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
