When Dan Schulman officially took the reins as Verizon CEO in October 2025, the industry collectively inhaled. It was a "hot swap" in the truest sense. Hans Vestberg, who had spent years hammering the 5G drum, was out. Schulman—the guy who scaled PayPal and survived the AT&T trenches decades ago—was in.
Honestly, the move felt a bit like a rescue mission.
Verizon was bleeding subscribers. While they were busy building the world’s most robust 5G network, T-Mobile was busy actually selling it to people. By the time Schulman stepped up, the "premium" brand of Verizon was looking a little dusty. Now, as we move through 2026, the question isn't just whether he can fix the churn, but whether he can turn a telecom giant into a modern tech powerhouse.
Why the Board Chose a "Payments Guy" for Telecom
It seems weird at first. Why hire the former CEO of PayPal to run a cell phone company?
If you look at his resume, though, it’s basically a circle. Before he was the face of fintech, Schulman was the founding CEO of Virgin Mobile USA. He spent nearly 20 years at AT&T. He knows the towers, the spectrum, and the regulatory headaches. But more importantly, he knows how to make people pay for digital services without thinking twice about it.
Verizon doesn't need another network engineer. They have plenty of those. They need someone who understands customer lifetime value and ecosystem lock-in.
The $20 Billion Frontier Gamble
You've probably heard about the Frontier Communications acquisition. It’s the elephant in the room. The deal, which is set to close right about now in early 2026, is Schulman’s first massive test.
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By folding Frontier into the mix, Verizon is chasing a "convergence" strategy. They want to be the ones providing your 5G on your phone and your fiber at your house. It's a land grab for 30 million homes and businesses.
- Fiber is the new backbone. You can't have great 5G without serious glass in the ground.
- Bundle or die. If Schulman can get you on a combined mobile and home internet plan, you're 50% less likely to leave for a cheaper rival.
- The Copper Problem. Transitioning old Frontier copper lines to fiber is expensive and slow.
Schulman isn't just managing a merger; he’s managing a massive construction project while trying to keep Wall Street happy.
The 13,000-Person Reality Check
Let's talk about the November 2025 layoffs.
It was a brutal start. Barely a month into the job, Schulman had to sign off on cutting roughly 13,000 jobs. That’s nearly 15% of the workforce. It wasn't just "trimming the fat"—it was a fundamental restructuring.
He basically told the world that Verizon’s "cost to serve" was too high. You can’t win a price war with T-Mobile if your overhead is twice as high as theirs. It was a classic Schulman move: decisive, slightly cold, and focused entirely on the balance sheet.
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What Actually Matters: The "Delight" Factor
In his first few memos, Schulman used the word "delight" a lot. It sounds like corporate fluff.
But for Verizon, it’s actually a radical idea. For years, the company relied on having the best signal. If the signal was good, they figured you’d tolerate the confusing bills and the three-hour wait times at the store.
That doesn't work anymore.
Schulman is pushing for a "Customer Champion" model. One person. One fix. No being transferred to four different departments. It’s a page out of the American Express playbook—another place Schulman spent years honing his craft.
Is 6G Already on the Radar?
While we’re all still trying to find a 5G signal that doesn't drop when we walk behind a tree, the industry is whispering about 6G.
Analysts like Jason Leigh from IDC have suggested that this leadership swap might be about the next decade, not this one. 5G was a capital expenditure nightmare. Schulman’s job is to extract the profit from 5G now so they can afford the 6G bill later.
It’s a tightrope walk.
Real Talk: The Risks
It isn't all sunshine and fiber optics. Verizon’s stock took a 5% dive the day he was announced. Investors are twitchy.
- The Debt Load: $20 billion for Frontier is a lot of cash when interest rates aren't zero anymore.
- Cultural Friction: Bringing a "silicon valley" mindset to a legacy telco is like trying to put a Tesla motor in a 1990s truck. It might go fast, but stuff is going to rattle.
- The Competition: Mike Sievert at T-Mobile and John Stankey at AT&T aren't exactly sitting still.
Actionable Insights for the "New" Verizon Era
If you’re a customer or an investor, the Schulman era means a few specific things are going to change very quickly.
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Watch the Bundles: Expect aggressive "Triple Play" offers involving 5G, Fiber, and streaming services. If you aren't bundling by mid-2026, you're probably overpaying.
App-First Service: Schulman loves digital platforms. If you’re still calling 611 to fix your bill, you’re going to find it increasingly difficult. The "My Verizon" app is about to become your best friend (or your worst nightmare).
Efficiency over Expansion: Don't expect Verizon to announce dozens of new "experimental" projects. Schulman is a "fewer things, better" kind of leader. He’s going to double down on the core business and kill the side quests.
Ultimately, Dan Schulman isn't at Verizon to build a better antenna. He’s there to build a better business model. Whether he can do that without losing the "soul" of the company’s engineering excellence is the $140 billion question.