I still remember when Hans was first announced as CEO. I did some research and saw that his tenure at Ericsson ended in turmoil, which immediately raised red flags for me. My instincts told me he might bring similar issues to Verizon—and after eight years, it’s clear that concern wasn’t unfounded. His leadership left the company in disarray, and it’s no surprise he was ultimately let go. It always seemed like his appointment had more to do with his connection to Lowell McAdam than with merit.
Now that he’s gone, I’m genuinely hopeful that Dan will take this opportunity to clean house—especially at the top. There are far too many EVPs, SVPs, VPs, and AVPs who’ve climbed the ladder without delivering real value. It’s time to move on from the talkers and empire-builders—those who lack the domain expertise and technical insight needed to truly drive the business forward.