Is it just me or does anyone agree that AT&T just needs to get back to the basics here. Yes, size this company. Dump all of the Hollywood bs and let’s build a true superior internet network that’s none other and people will pay for a quality service. We need to step back from Hollywood and making content to being the American Telephone and Telegraph company.
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Are you a money making id–t? Are you making money as an investor? Are you making money as a worker?
You're an id–t.
Yes !
more coming lol ok yeah if the government continues takes taxpayer money and give it to randy and stank I guess it will keep coming. but if customers have a choice they won't be choosing att.
Buying Warner Media and DorecTV were two of the most significant financial disasters T has made in its history. We could’ve been dominating the mobile market if we invested more money in our wireless infrastructure. But no, Randy wanted to go Hollywood. Oh what our company could’ve been.
What's a dialtone?
the old battle cry was dialtone! dialtone! dialtone!
Yes to grabbing cash. No to running because more cash is coming.
Folks, the utility monopoly days are long over. Building pipes isn't enough to sustain growth. Everybody and their grandma already has a cell phone, there isn't an untapped market segment out there eager to buy more and upgrades are slowed.
Stephenson and Stank thought owning content will be the holy grail, envied of Netflex, Amazon, etc. It took them years to build their empires by giving people what they want at the right price points. att is late to the party, and forcing people into 2 year contracts, you can't get more regressive than that. Kids these days don't watch tv or they can get content for free. Middle aged folks are price sensitive, and they do read contract fine prints. Older folks aren't convinced to jump ship, specially with "your network is under performing" and the darn tv isn't working. Dumping DTV and Warner means taking major losses, just like the t-mo debacle. Time for the captain to go down with the ship.
As you pass the debt on to the next s—er just make sure you grab your cash and run. Beautiful ain’t it.
Just keep the debt coming and pass it n down the line
AT&T debt has been amazing so far. Investors got paid. Workers got paid. And nice retirement coming too. Doesn't get much better than that.
@2nph+14pTScCQ - going in debt isn’t a way to run anything
I agree, let's build out the pipe and stop with the Hollywood pipe dreams !
@2nph..these content companies offer a product they can only sell to people who have HSIA. It would seem more profitable to go all in(and I mean all in: wired, wireless, satellites, whatever it takes) to provide the pipe to everyone in America.
Meanwhile Frontier Communcations is focused on delivering network services, and they are almost bankrupt. Sprint was focused on delivering cellular services, and they were just bought out. Focusing on providing the pipes is not a sustainable way to grow or even maintain the business.
too bad companies can't run thing like I run my household buy with cash and always have six months savings. too bad I don't get bailed out. but companies can run up debt and still get cash to get into more debt. not a way I would want to run my finances. but when you can just s— of millions for yourself and get in the pockets of the government where is the incentive to right the ship when you know you can take a golden parachute anytime.
Big beautiful dividend. For the investors that continue to believe in the company.
Agreed. Back to basics, then jobs and profits will be flowing endlessly.
Well said. Now that the inessential business that T is involved with is losing tons of money, maybe they'll appreciate the recession proof business that they CURRENTLY OWK
Your exactly right !
Oh, and @mqo, step 4, the bloated unsustainable dividend will be cut in half. Money retained will be use to pay down Randall's debt and invest in the company.
We may lose Randall's cherished 'dividend aristocrat' status, but we would make progress toward saving this company instead.
OK @mqo, here's my Vision 2030 road map -
Step 1, I will personally see to it that Randy and Stanky are escorted out the door by security. Then I will have legal looking into any action possible to recoup investor losses that their incompetence has caused to be confiscated from their golden parachutes and previous bonus awards and over compensation.
Step 2, We will begin unloading Randall's media 'empire' and what's left of his other foolish acquisitions, either through a spin off or to an interested buyer. We will then use the proceeds to A) pay down Randall's enormous debt load, and B) reinvest in rebuilding the pipes of this company, both fiber and wireless.
Step 3, We will begin bringing jobs back to America and rebuilding the relationship with our American workers as well as improving the ethics and honesty in our dealings with our customers. Dishonest, unethical companies are not successful in the long run.
Do I have realistic well defined financial projections for every five year period along the way? No, but neither does the current id–t paying himself $30 million a year.
"Netflix was not paying us anything for that. It was getting a free ride."
I always love this statement. Wasn't the customers paying for internet access? How is that considered a free ride? this statement is nothing but hogwash.
this is nothing but crybaby excuse - netflix is making more money than us and it is using our pipes that customers are paying for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Partly what motivated them to buy directv and hbo was that a large pecentage of the internet over AT&T circuits was composed of traffic from people who were streaming from say netflixs. Netflix was not paying us anything for that. It was getting a free ride. So that is why they wanted directv and time warner, so they could cash in like netflicks. The trouble is that the higher executives had no experience with the entertainment industry (except Stankey who knows all about TV :) ) The higher execs never try to create a business but buy existing ones.(or contract things out) With all our infrastructure you would think that there is something that could be leveraged in starting a new business. (same payroll system, same marketing department etc.) So they pay a premuim price. One of them started losing a lot of customers. So that threw off the calculations on how long it would take to pay down the debt and limited our return on investment.
Content delivery is about as profitable as a long distance phone call.
maybe randy can have some town halls and bring billy gates and george w bush on what to do.
https://articles.traderspro.com/index.php/2020/04/02/why-goldman-sachs-just-added-this-1-wireless-provider-to-its-conviction-list/
lol - att just can't catch a break
Exactly ! , well said ! Its to bad that the 3 amigos at the top of the food chain don't see what we as a company are , and what are future should be ,the same way that you do. I guess getting a 29 Million dollar bonus every year, regardless of achievement , is debilitating in a very negative growth way. Randall inherited a company flush with capitol and squandered every penny of it. Then he borrowed against our future to do what ? Nothing this man has done at ATT is going to improve it. Its time to bring in an old wire guy that will build out the connectivity that this country will require going forward ! Please ! Bring in someone that is not looking past the end of their nose to make money for ALL of US !!!
Peel off some more cell towers too when we're running all that fiber out there.
"No problem my friend. Please present your vision for the next 5, 10, 15 years with a roadmap to success for each along with financial projections and we can talk...."
Totally unnecessary. My plan is to fire the board and get a CEO that isn't a showboating glamour chaser. Get someone who knows how to run a telecom. I don't have to know how to run a company anymore than a good CEO has to know how to pull a fiber or install a server.
How can anyone think our leadership is competent?
lol you are describing what all the other telecoms are doing -
"Back seat CEO."
There is nothing worse than someone who defends indefensible actions just because someone who holds a higher rank performs those acts. Randall just borrowed some more billions so he can keep paying dividends. How is this different from some poor schmuck who takes out a title loan on his car to pay the rent? He wanted to buy back stock. On what planet is that responsible stewardship? The man and his executive direct reports are and have been taking destructive actions to enrich themselves at the expense of employees and customers. Who can defend that?
The money spent on a dying DBS infrastructure (Direct TV) and the money spent on Warner (what is it, 180 billion?) could have placed fiber to the node. We would have 1 gig service that would place AT&T as a leader in broadband. Instead, we have a so called "leader" that knows more about television than anyone else.
Period.
The leadership is unable to make a sound business plan! You got to clean house....boards got to go too! A purging is necessary top down...not bottom up!!
I’m afraid that ship has sailed.
I don’t have any financial projections and a business plan moving forward. That is definitely up to the executives. Not arguing that. All I am stating is that in my humble opinion this company would hold stronger in this new economy if we focused on delivering content not making it.
No problem my friend. Please present your vision for the next 5, 10, 15 years with a roadmap to success for each along with financial projections and we can talk....
Back seat CEO.