Verizon Dallas | Photo Credit – Verizon
Verizon may have delivered its best quarter in a long time under Dan Schulman, but the new CEO is reportedly planning to take another big step to make his mark on the company. Schulman is “not afraid” to “make really tough decisions,” and his next move could call for the head of consumer affairs Sowmyanarayan Sampath his work.
It’s the wrong time
Q4 was Verizon’s first good quarter in 2025 in terms of postpaid subscriber additions. It will only be clear if that was enough to keep its lead there IT-Mobile reports its Q4 results on February 11. Schulman is not waiting and twiddling his thumbs to plan the next step of his strategy. it is reported that he is looking for a replacement for Sampath, who should have been the successor of Hans Vestberg, VerizonFormer CEO. Far from passing the torch to him, Schulman appears to be reorganizing his leadership team and looking for someone who might be better suited to be CEO. While Sampath’s future is Verizon hanging in the balance, his dismissal is not guaranteed. He has started to find jobs, but has never developed an exit plan. The report states that despite Schulman’s efforts, which included laying off 13,000 people and cutting costs, Verizon continues to be overshadowed by AT&T and T-Mobile, which explains why it wants to get rid of Sampath.
However, VerizonThe problems started long before Sampath became CEO of the consumer group in 2023. He stepped into a leadership role when the company was going through a difficult phase, and played his part in bringing the company back.
[Sampath had] he stepped into the head of consumer role at the bottom line of the company’s operations and righted the ship.
David Barden, partner at New Street Research, January 2026
A disturbing movement
Instead of having a well-thought-out succession plan, Verizon he seems to be hitting it. Lack of planning can backfire, if considered Verizon it already has a lot on its plate. Although Q4 was the company’s best quarter since 2019 in terms of customer growth, it came at the expense of financial performance.
Schulman has a 27-month contract, and although it could be extended, he has never been selected for a long period of time. A company’s next CEO can be very important to its long-term trajectory, however VerizonLack of confidence at higher levels is not a good sign.
Fortune favors the brave
Schulman’s estimated time at Verizon means that he should not only restore the holder to its former glory, but also ensure that he leaves it in the right hands. While it’s unclear why he doesn’t think Sampath could be that person, Schulman seems to have a clear vision for the company that he can’t avoid. constant values.
