AT&T appoints new CEO prior to iPhone launch
The flurry of activity surrounding AT&T over the last short while, what with the recent acquisition of Cingular and the deal with Apple for the iPhone, continues as it announced a new CEO as of yesterday. In a move most likely aimed at refocusing the image of AT&T, the company has appointed Randal Stephenson captain of the iPhone’s flagship carrier.
It does seem a bit odd that such a move would happen in a time when AT&T has appeared so successful; however, if AT&T was looking to appoint a new leader that was 120 percent behind the iPhone, this is your guy.
"Whatever your expectations are from this device, they are probably too low. It changes how we think about the PDA, the iPod and the cell phone interacting," Stephenson said regarding the iPhone’s potential, according to DailyNews.
I think Stephen may be more excited about the iPhone than Steve Jobs is; if he isn’t, he’s doing a swell job of making me even more excited than I was before I read his comment.
Stephenson probably moved to the position of CEO due to his hand in AT&T’s large-scale acquisition of so many assets, including the late Cingular which is now AT&T’s wireless division. No doubt he wanted his name at the top of the list when people looked to give credit for the success AT&T will undoubtedly experience when the iPhone goes public.
In regards to potential buyers for the iPhone, DailyNews claims over a million people have asked for notification when the iPhone goes retail. Stephenson said, "I’ll be really disappointed if there’s not a shortage."
This is assuredly not a case of appointing a new CEO to turn things around; we are seeing the change because the man responsible for AT&T’s upswing is looking to cash in on the hard work he put in to bring the company so much success. More power to him!
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