#transformation

There was a CEO named Whelan
Who set up his company for failing
They missed all their targets
We're punished by markets
Was surprised when Woods started wailing

Spotify was a broken model to begin with especially in Fidelity.

But What's the inside story on how they realized this agile model is not working in Tech. After spending millions over the years on all change.

Beginning May 3, the company will implement one of the largest structural changes in its history, driven by the adoption of Oracle software and a shift toward a more siloed operating model.

Goal: Decrease operating cost by reducing high salary people and not paying for hourly worker benefits as there are many store employees.

1. Take away store employee holidays so the full timers quit. Huge savings on the benefits. Then only hire part timers to replace.

2. Close OPO to make as many people quit as possible. So far under 100 but soon it will be up to 200. Could even go up to 300 within 3 months of OPO closer.

3. Few months after closing OPO, Move head quarter to a cheaper area and cash 400 million for 4 buildings. Expect people who live nearby to quit. People moved to Chicago for a job and bought a home nearby to have balanced life style. Lot of people who work at a head quarter will quit if office moves far away. Near the farms where it is cheaper land or in middle by staples office on I355.

Leftover downtowners will quit if they are not by commuter train.

Total people who quit will be around 1000 at the end without any layoff or severance package. This guys know what they are doing.

Where do we believe or know where majority of the layoffs are going to be? Do you think it’s all transformation or more than that?

https://www.businessinsider.com/citi-jane-fraser-memo-old-habits-performance-job-cuts-transformation-2026-1

So is JC’s message Maverick pushing forward with training in Feb and going live in May?

CHRO: Set the Foundation?

What does success look like?? What is different than today??

Where are we deliberately going—and why does it matter???

Expect major layoffs this year. All the areas going through "transformation" like cfo, ops, and brand are planning to offshore roles or replace with AI. ETX was the test case before rollout to other areas.

They have reduction in US headcount as a goal for each area. Search deep enough on Sharepoint & OneDrive and the details can be found.

Somebody legitimately wrote this paragraph and thought, "Yeah this makes total sense" and clicked send to the entire company. I get from this that mass layoffs will be coming before the 1/14 meeting (in particular the last line), but who knows.

"To grow boldly, we are launching our 2026 theme: “Transform as ONE.” I have chosen
this because true, sustainable transformation is not an individual pursuit; it is a shared
journey that requires us to be aligned in purpose, unified in action, and strengthened by collective ambition. Under this theme, we will pursue our directions of Exceed and Excel, Agility and Action, and Discover and Do through “One for All” Communication and
Collaboration. We must operate with the understanding that finding efficiencies is not
about doing more with less, but rather about doing better with purpose."

It's 2026 & ITS GO time ! GO= Results OR Get Out !Time to put $ & mouth together & stop the gaslighting & BS. Action+Results+Real "Digital Transformation." Clients & Employees want results from the Board & low producing Executives Who have no personality.

++Transparency~Publish Board Minutes & Agenda++employee, retiree, and client representation on board++
++Transparency~Publish Executive Compensation Packages++
++Transparency~Publish full financial & audit report in Annual Report
++Transparency~Publish full Rating Agencies reports on website++
++Transform Website++
++Transform Mobile App++
++Add Brokerage Accounts++
++Add Managed Accounts++
++Add Financial Plans++
++Add Retirement Score Calculator on Website++
++Reduce work loads for Client Relationship Managers & overworked and underpaid segments in Operations++
++New Leadership Over Operations, IT & Sales++
++Rebrand & change corporate name and hire a PR Firm to clean up poor external image++
++Automate all distributions & loans++eliminate paper like it was supposed to be done 15 yrs ago
++More CRM support & stop the wage theft working 60 hours per week++
++Change investments in 401k++
++Allow clients to communicate with Text & Chat++
++eliminate team CX as they SuCX. Use Mediallia to survey the F.u.CK out of participants
fire all non performers

• Streamline workloads for CRMs & Administrations Operations++new leaders needed !
  cut Executive Pay & 3 Year Special Pay Shares
  put laugh track of CFO on corporate website just for s.chits & giggles
• stop running behind competitors & get your as--s together w/system upgrades & legislation
  Implement associate solutions & stop paying consultants through the nose
  Eliminate 50 page performance review process & eliminate monthly webinars**
  ~~stop posting on Linkedin during company time & ban por.n during business hours
  fire heads of sales, it, admin ops, hr, call center, & all current execs & board mbers
  get Andrew cuomo, chris cuomo, & eric adams on board

Trying to get through the NEW yorker

Wisdom of the crowd. 2026 looking like a hugely transformative and impactful year.
What does Chevron do well, poorly, and what risks lurk around the corner?

The company hired me to lead their "Agile Transformation."
I don't know what Agile means.
Nobody does.
That's why it works.

I make $425,000 a year.
To move sticky notes.
From left to right.
On a board.
The board is digital now.
The sticky notes cost $80,000 in Jira licenses.
Progress.

Day one, I said "we need to break down silos."
Everyone nodded.
Silos are bad.
I don't know why.
But destroying them is a career.
My career.

I introduced "squads."
Squads are teams.
But disrupted.
We disrupted the teams into teams.
Different names.
Same people.
Same problems.
But Agile problems now.
Agile problems are strategic.

A senior engineer asked what we're actually changing.
I said, "The mindset."
He asked what that means.
I said, "It's a journey."
He asked where we're going.
I said, "Toward agility."
He asked what agility means.
I pointed at the sticky notes.
They were moving left to right.
That's velocity.
We have velocity now.

The VP of Engineering said two-week sprints don't fit their work.
I said, "That's waterfall thinking."
Waterfall is bad.
Like silos.
I don't know what waterfall is.
But I know it's bad.
She stopped talking.
Waterfall accusations end conversations.

We had a retrospective.
In the retro, we discussed what went wrong.
Everything went wrong.
We put it on sticky notes.
Then we moved the sticky notes.
Into a column called "Parking Lot."
The Parking Lot is where problems go to die.
It's full.
We don't look at it.
That's agile.

Velocity is up 40%.
I defined velocity.
I also defined the points.
I also defined the stories.
We're crushing it.
At the things I made up.
To measure.
Ourselves.

The CEO asked for ROI.
I showed a chart.
The chart went up.
Charts should go up.
This one did.
I didn't label the Y-axis.
Nobody asked.
Leadership is confidence.

We do standups now.
Every day.
We stand.
For 45 minutes.
Standing is agile.
Sitting is waterfall.
My legs hurt.
But we're transforming.

The transformation is now "Phase 3."
Phase 1 was assessment.
Phase 2 was implementation.
Phase 3 is "continuous improvement."
Continuous means forever.
Forever means job security.
I'm very secure.

My contract was extended.
Three more years.
For "cultural impact."
The culture is confused.
But impacted.

Agile transformation isn't about being agile.
It's about transforming.
Continuously.
Toward more transformation.
The destination is the journey.
The journey is billable.

All of GT may be a dumpster fire, but CP&I somehow manages to be the main attraction. At this point, logic has officially resigned. JS’s directs and their teams are sprinting in every possible direction like headless chickens, enthusiastically throwing work at the wall with zero business alignment and even less clarity.

My engineering manager now treats strategy like a daily horoscope - every morning comes with a brand-new “priority,” allegedly inspired by whatever whim floated down from JS overnight. Meanwhile, CP&I is aggressively hiring engineers for teams where absolutely nothing is happening… while simultaneously loaning people out to PLM because, surprise, that’s where the work is.

In a truly impressive feat of leadership gymnastics, JS laid off all contractors, declared a noble shift to a 100% FTE “engineering excellence” model, and then - plot twist - brought in external vendors to help with engineering development. One can only marvel at the cost of this enlightenment.

As for ITC, it’s probably best described as a very expensive travel club. A leadership group of about ten makes frequent pilgrimages there, producing no visible outcomes except invoices. Rough estimate: ~$200K burned for vibes and frequent-flyer miles.

All in all, CP&I remains a fascinating social experiment. With VA now inheriting Technology, I’m genuinely curious to see whether this saga ends in transformation… or just a bigger, better-funded mess.

Sounds familiar?

Starbucks did not lose $30 billion because of bad coffee. It lost it because the company
mispriced what actually created its value.

When Starbucks appointed a McKinsey-trained executive as CEO, the mandate was operational discipline. Costs were scrutinized. Processes were standardized. Stores were pushed to behave like efficiency machines rather than community spaces.

On paper, the logic made sense.

Consultants optimize margins by removing friction. But Starbucks was never a pure efficiency business. Its premium pricing depended on brand emotion, store experience, and cultural loyalty. Those are intangible assets, but they carry real monetary value.

As efficiency initiatives rolled out, customers noticed. Service quality declined. Stores felt
transactional. The brand lost its emotional moat. Foot traffic softened. Growth expectations reset. Markets reacted quickly. Over 17 months, Starbucks shed roughly $30 billion in market capitalization. Not from insolvency risk, but from a reassessment of future cash flows tied to brand strength.

The board reversed course. The CEO exited. Strategy changed.

The wealth lesson is structural. Consulting frameworks work best where value is mechanical and repeatable. Consumer brands compound wealth through trust, identity, and habit, not just margins.

When leadership optimizes the wrong variable, scale turns small misjudgments into massive losses.

Starbucks did not fail at execution. It failed at understanding what it was actually selling.

As much as Dell keeps talking about implement all aspects of AI, it is still the tribal knowledge dependent tech company I've ever worked at. It's what makes me believe that all the AI evangelicalism is mostly to push server and storage hardware.

I mean how is AI going to make suggestions when the needed information is only available in people's heads? Also with tribal knowledge there are multiple versions of the truth. AI is good at figuring out at least the most consistent version of the truth. But then again it is all tribal knowledge and not documented.

Communication will come from CL 28+ functional management.

First batch of communications Jan 5, second batch Jan 7. Communications will continue in batches every Monday and Wednesday through January.

First couple weeks will be job offers, severances will come later in month.

Division meeting today just ended. T.P says more ISPs coming. No number given, just the same ole same ole "transformation" jargon. Also, 700 HBAs impacted by the new RTO policy. They did this knowing a lot of those folks will rage quit or simply not be able to do RTO, leading to termination. Why is EDJ leadership actively at war with the very people who make the company home office work? It sure as Sh1t aint the GPs pulling this wagon.

The slow pace of widespread job replacement by AI is not a reflection of AI's capability, but a direct consequence of organizational dysfunction. Current "agentic AI" systems are only as effective as the structured workflows they execute.

The reality in most legacy corporations like Verizon is a landscape of fragmented, siloed organizations operating under conflicting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This structure is the root cause of systemic inter-departmental conflict and blame-shifting.

An AI agent does not engage in finger-pointing; it issues a clear error code indicating a break in the designed workflow. Crucially, that error will persist until the systemic gaps are reconciled and the workflow is made functional. Many legacy companies are littered with years of broken processes, often obscured by anecdotal reporting, polished presentations, and manipulated performance metrics.

These old habits will fail when faced with systems built on hard, fast rules.

Therefore, the initial push for corporate restructuring—the mass simplification and removal of organizational layers—is not just about efficiency. It is the necessary preparation. Once these fundamental workflow gaps are addressed and optimized, the corporate architecture will be ready for large-scale agentic AI implementation. The organizational cleanup precedes the technological deployment. Get ready for the next phase.

The silence in Honeywell is concerning. The more I think about what is coming next and seeing how much staff cuts are happening, a shrinkage is inevitable. There are only two paths that seem possible:

1. HON LT and BoD already have some transformational M&A of some type of a mega merger or mega acquisition in the works to shape the new narrative, or
2. Focus on the Aero split just like GE did and then handover Honeywell to a new CEO to drive the next phase of transformation to a different company.

What do these mean for staff? What else could happen next?

I guess this turns out to be true !!!! Field service is gonna be all Mastec

https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=600-202511260330PR_NEWS_EURO_ND__EN33185-1

Really?

Surprised to see Gina’s internal email in the press already! 😀.

Will be interesting to see how the board addresses this in the all hands next week and their comments on share price + continued transformation.

I’m not sure if Accenture is really transforming or modernizing the application? Are they just doing BAU. Another question is TIAA planning to outsource their data division?

Rumors from earlier this year… Is bnsf doing directional traffic on the coal loop? Did they run through Edgemont yet? Did they do anything with the Orin???

Every bit of industry has been changing this year. People are getting laid off or displaced to other locations. (Example… Union Pacific is wanting to make North Platte an away terminal).

All the middle managers ads avps vps and svps are intact, they said they want to transform, laying off ppl from lower band will not transform verizon ppl who bleeded the money hiring contractors and asked the Vz lower band to manage contractors and they get away with this it’s a shame

Is this the man who'll axe 15,000 jobs at Verizon?

Alfonso Villanueva joins Verizon as Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer in two days.

Nov 18, 2025, 8:28 AM

Verizon adds a new boss to its team as the company is about to undergo serious changes and thousands are about to be laid off.

His name is Alfonso Villanueva and starting November 20, he'll join Verizon as Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer.

What's his role?

A Chief Transformation Officer leads a company's major change initiatives, guiding shifts in strategy, operations, technology and culture to improve performance. This role focuses on aligning teams, processes and long-term plans to ensure the organization can adapt and grow.

Recently, we told you about Verizon's plans to axe 15,000 jobs and close 200 stores, and the process could start as soon as this week. The Big Red carrier also has a new CEO – Daniel Schulman – who has recognized that the carrier can no longer depend on continual price increases to drive revenue. Verizon has lost customers in recent times, and the company is now moving to greener pastures. The goal is to reduce expenses by shifting its focus.

Personally, Villanueva brings more than twenty years of global leadership experience in strategy, corporate development, transformation, data science and innovation within major technology and financial organizations. His background includes senior roles at PayPal, where he oversaw strategy, corporate development, data science, analytics expansion, venture investments and numerous key initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Villanueva was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led the firm's Telecom, Media and Technology practice across the Asia-Pacific region, so he is definitely suited for his new position at Verizon. He also served as Chief Innovation Officer at SingTel, contributing to the launch of its digital division and venture fund.

It's time to sharpen things

Verizon says it is reorganizing several major teams under Alfonso Villanueva to sharpen its digital infrastructure and improve how the company operates. The new Transformation Organization will take on long-term projects tied to strategy, technology and day-to-day efficiency, with teams responsible for strategy, data and AI, and supply chain now reporting directly to him.

This is only natural, as anyone would want its company to streamline decisions, cut complexity and focus resources on areas that can improve customer experience and support future growth.

No more price hikes?

This is the main question: will your Verizon bill stay the same after all this changes? I sincerely hope so.

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Verizon should take this moment as a real chance to break the cycle of relying on constant price hikes to boost revenue. With Villanueva leading the Transformation Organization, the company has the tools to focus on efficiency, better service, and smarter investments instead of passing costs onto customers.

As interfaces move to AI platforms, I was trying to figure out which market data providers have the most proprietary value. I think this may be part of the challenge they are facing.

MSCI = Benchmark/risk models
LSEG = Exchange, RT
S&P = Ratings, Benchmark
Moodys = ratings
Morningtar = stars
BBG = FI content
FactSet = cusip

Besides cusip, is there a proprietary data/analytics set that Factset provides in this new world.

Don't ask "how do they expect [any function] to continue?". They don't. Verizon will look completely different very quickly and your job, if you still have one, is going to change. Whether it's a sale, merger, or complete dismantling, the old phone company is no more.

IBM has become such a dysfunctional relic that the most merciful thing left is for the company to sell itself to someone who actually knows how to run a tech business. Years of clueless leadership, bloated acquisitions, pointless reorgs, and nonstop layoffs have turned the place into a slow-motion train wreck where innovation goes to die and the employees who keep the lights on get punished for it. IBM isn’t “transforming” — it’s circling the drain. A sale might be the only shot this dinosaur has at survival.

15,000 jobs gone. A ‘streamlined’ future promised. Yet executive pay stays sky‑high and friends get hired into new divisions. If we truly want transformation, let’s stop cutting the backbone of the company and start listening to the people who actually make it work.

Seriously? Hiring his friends, paying them a LOT of $$$$ while thousands will lose their jobs.

“Transformation” = mass employee layoffs

Rawool Fernandass announced with great enthusiasm “My leadership is uniquely leaning itself toward strategic penetration as we fully embrace a deep engagement with our organization’s Assponential operating framework".

A few weeks ago thee question of layoffs was posed. The response was VH promised no Layoffs and we are lean and mean…

The street and influential groups think Oxy is stale and requires a rebrand both within its teams and its assets. A definition of what Oxy is and where it’s going.

We have since learned about VSPs, HR looking at Reservoir and Subsurface for poor performance, offshore competitors actively looking at non core offshore assets.

For those 6hat doubted about Layoffs and massive transformation what’s your new opinions?

https://investors.solventum.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/135/solventum-reports-third-quarter-2025-financial-results

Reeks of Inge's $500M/year claimed savings which never manifested. SAP started circulation at 3M in something like 2010, with the fever dream reaching maximum levels in perhaps 2014-2018. They had mandatory "Here, you matter" meetings and plastered the walls of the Quad with SAP propaganda (graphics of people holding a red ball and "You play a part" or whatever nonsense).

https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/3/NYSE_MMM_2016.pdf

My gut is that Transform for the Future is attempting to juice the stock based on returns that will never manifest. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a rebrand of 3M's SAP promises, as the whole "Transform for the Future" verbiage is so vague. What are they spending $500M on, and where will the $500M/year come from? Could they really mean "We're going to spend $500M to complete 3M's partial SAP roll-out" and re-promising the same savings as 3M did in 2015?

I noted that "innovation" is put last, while redundant terms (cost structure and operational efficiency) are up front. Only savings are cited, not increased sales or new products (who are our "customers," again?). Doesn't inspire confidence that we'll be, you know, actually improving patients' lives. Feels like monkeying with financial levers to "create value" (C-suite money bags) where there is none.

Curious what others think.

It was just leaked that to handle the influx of people to Strathcona post Transformation they will begin charging for parking at site.

Someone had leaked this year ahead of the Sept 30 transformation announcements.

Their info was good haha.

EMPS and Upstream to merge

New Verizon CEO flags reasons why customers are leaving Amid its customer struggles, on Oct. 6, Verizon named Dan Schulman as the new CEO of the company, replacing Hans Vestberg. During an earnings call on Oct. 29, Schulman said that Verizon is "clearly falling short" of its potential. "We are not delivering the shareholder returns our investors expect," said Schulman. "Despite investing significantly in network leadership, we have not been able to translate that into winning in the market." He also said that there are four reasons why Verizon is losing customers: price increases, friction in the customer experience, negative value perception and intense competition in the telecom industry. Related: Verizon angers customers with new tactic to boost loyalty Schulman emphasized that Verizon needs to "aggressively transform" its culture and financial profile by being more "customer-centric and executing with financial discipline with a focus on shareholder value." He also admitted that recent price hikes were a bad idea.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article312737229.html#storylink=cpy

During Dan’s speech he told us that it was his 22nd day as CEO. He then stated that by his 44th day as CEO most of his transformative plan would be revealed and much of it would already be set in motion. This is the start of the 1st week of Dan’s 3 week transformation kickoff. Hang on for one heck of a ride! Hope I see you on the other side!