Face it, these guys fell asleep at the wheel, believing in their own hype and thinking the wireless pay-by-the-minute bucket would keep pouring gravy over everything. Now they're doing what produces short-term "results" and AGAIN ignoring the long-term prognosis regarding company sustainability.
Apple: We have an idea for a product, interested?. Nah, we're the Blackberry kings, nobody wants that toy. And the race for second place in the smartphone war was on.
The reasoning behind the Vodaphone buyout? To support cash flow to cover wireline operations? Ha! If that was the casae, then why are they selling off wireline assets anytime a buyer can be found? No, it was purely an ego trip so somebody could say THEY were the ones who pulled off the deal. $60B is a pretty big turd on your balance sheet, especially in the midst of a pricing war. Smart.
Now they're crying about all the debt service and how these layoffs are crucial to sustaining shareholder value. Just what IS "shareholder value"? Basically means the share price when the options on their compensation packages mature. Real investors are looking for long-term sustainability and a viable appreciation in value over a period longer than the next two quarters.
The price of poor decisions by management is being paid by the working stiffs. Any C-level exec that thinks regular rounds of layoffs are a component of company success has failed as a steward of the entity and as a positive contributor to the economy. Especially after the stupendously bad choices madeover the last 7-8 years.